15. Joaquin Tuculet: 6
Always industrious without ever quite finding the killer edge that was there against Ireland. Kicked a whopping 15 times from hand, but too often not enough ground was made.

14. Santiago Cordero: 7
A really tough one to rate – there was lots of good, but too much bad also. An early knock-on from a tapped penalty inside his own 22 summed up Argentina’s flustered desire to play a quick game, and led to Ashley-Cooper’s first try. But he looked so dangerous every time he received the ball from there on in – one sidestep on his own five metre line that left two men for dead was deliciously audacious.

13. Marcelo Bosch: 8
Such a silky centre. Made an early line-break that resulted in Argentina’s first points, and was always a willing carrier. Even managed a couple of turnovers, too.

12. Juan Martín Hernandez: 6
His gorgeous hands sent Bosch through on that early line-break but he took a huge hit for his troubles and was substituted soon after half time. The Argentine back-line missed his calmness after the break.

11. Juan Imhoff: 5
Sadly for Argentina’s deadliest finisher, he was forced off the pitch after just 17 minutes with an injury.

10. Nicolás Sanchez: 7
An early intercept pass sent Simmons cantering in for a try and does detract from his score, but like Cordero he did not crawl into his shell. Attacked the gainline with menace and frequently made the half-break that put his side on the front foot. Also kicked flawlessly from the tee.

9. Martín Landajo: 6
Tried to snipe a few times but could never get away. His service was generally solid, but the fact that he did not box kick even once in the entire game tells you how muddled Argentina’s exit strategy was.

1. Marcos Ayerza: 7.5
The scrum was in superb form once again and while he looked ponderous with ball in hand on a couple of occasions, his tackling was good.

2. Agustín Creevy: 5
Unfortunately Sonny Bill Creevy only last 30 minutes of the semi-final, during which time he couldn’t make any discernible impact on the game and oversaw some bonkers rugby in his side’s own half.

3. Ramiro Herrera: 8
Absolutely pummelled opposite number Slipper into the dirt at scrum time. You can’t ask anything more of your tighthead prop.

4. Guido Petti: 7
Made the one and only lineout steal of the game and also had an impact at the breakdown, winning at least one turnover (Pocock must have been otherwise engaged at the time).

5. Tomás Lavanini: 5
His yellow card may have been harsh but let’s be honest, it wasn’t great technique in the tackle and it would have been a penalty either way. Other than that it was a fairly quiet performance.

6. Pablo Matera: 6
Much less conspicuous with ball in hand than last week, possibly because he was so worried about having an impact at the breakdown in the presence of the awesome Aussie back row.

7. Juan Martín Fernández Lobbe: 8
Inspirational stuff from the stand-in captain as he led a fightback that threatened to reel the Wallabies in. Made 10 tackles without missing any and stormed over the gainline on six separate occasions. A warrior.

8. Leonardo Senatore: 5.5
Another whose performance paled in comparison with last weekend, Senatore was unable to make much ground with ball in hand and slipped off a couple of tackles before being replaced early in the second half.

Replacements: 7
Facundo Isa was a revelation when he came on, tearing around with all the energy of a young spaniel and more often than not making good yards. Jeronimo de la Fuente offered a more direct threat in the midfield and impressed also, but Lucas Amorosino looked ponderous too often with ball in hand. The replacements in the front five continued the set piece dominance.

By Jamie Hosie
Follow Jamie on Twitter: @jhosie43

Photo by: Patrick Khachfe / Onside Images