The last-four-bound All Blacks know what defeat so close to the final feels like and what to expect this time around, according to a former player who's spent time with the team during the game's build-up. 

All Blacks legend, Sean Fitzpatrick has been watching the team's preparations for their World Cup semi-final clash with Argentina on Saturday morning (NZT), he told Mike Hosking Breakfast they're "a strong bunch of men". 

He said there's no room for complacency heading into the crunch match. 

"I was telling your producer earlier, it's more relaxed here for the fans than last week," said the former player. 

"But [the squad] are very focused and driven, it's a fully fit squad - it's also a World Cup semi and [Argentina] will bounce beyond their game and they have a good coach which keeps reinventing themselves and producing results."

Saturday's match is predicted by pundits to be a slightly easier test for New Zealand than last weekend's nail-biting quarter-final victory against Ireland, the number-one ranked nation which the All Blacks overcame by a tight margin at the end. 

This weekend's game will likely trigger flashbacks for fans of the 2019 tournament's contest with England, who defeated an experienced All Blacks side to play the final against South Africa - the eventual winners. 

Hosking asked Fitzpatrick if there's a psychological approach to knockout matches you're expected to perform well in, but Fitzpatrick was quick to bat away any suggestion of over-confidence within the squad. 

"There will be no complacency," he said. 

"They have huge experience...there's enough guys there from 2019 that know what to expect and Argentina came off a huge game also, so I'm expecting there's enough."

Fitzpatrick said the last fixture boasted phenomenal plays from captain Sam Cane, Ardie Savea and "the Barrett boys", with enough guile to suggest they aren't taking the opportunity for granted. 

"I've been spending a bit of time with them, you walk into the room - they want it, they want to win and they and their coaching team have done a superb job."

Fitzpatrick sang the praises of Sam Cane, in particular, after his quarter-final heroics against the powerful loose forwards that Ireland put against him, he believed the captain's performance was the difference between the two sides. 

"So I'm hugely passionate about where they're going, but they're a team of good men."

Meanwhile, the other side of the tournament tree will feature the clash between the other two semi-final-placed teams England and South Africa, who knocked out hosts France in a stunning display of rugby. 

"Everybody is nervous about the well-known South Africa," said Fitzpatrick, previewing the other semi-final. 

"But you never know - there could be a red card, or this or that if you're in the fight with twenty minutes to go. I thought about this last week, it could go either way and little moments could be the difference."

While England has a good chance to reach a second consecutive final, Fitzpatrick did acknowledge South Africa is "a very, very good team". 

"That performance in the quarters was the best I'd seen."

New Zealand take on Argentina in the first semi-final match on Saturday morning at 8am.