Had Argentina started the way they finished, like runaway bulls storming across the unfamiliar pampas of south-west London, this would have been one of the great Rugby World Cup knockout games. Instead an early mixture of suicidal mistakes and overenthusiasm played into Australian hands and ensured it will be the Wallabies, also grateful for a hat-trick of tries from the winger Adam Ashley-Cooper, who face their trans-Tasman rivals, New Zealand, in Saturday’s final. If four tries to nil sounds like a drubbing on paper, it was rather closer in reality. The second half was a real test of antipodean nerve as the Pumas scrum finally exerted some concerted pressure but Australia had enough strength in depth on the bench to extend their unbeaten record at this tournament. Argentina, who now face South Africa in Friday’s bronze final, suffered a clutch of injuries to some key individuals and there was ultimately no escape from 14-3 down after 11 minutes. Australia will be pleased at the way they responded when a helter-skelter contest threatened to veer out of control and the All Blacks will not have forgotten their 27‑19 defeat in Sydney in August, which cost them this year’s Rugby Championship title…. Read full this story
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