With a resurgent Argentina piling pressure on, it took an incisive Drew Mitchell moment to regain control for Australia and set up a Rugby World Cup final against archrival New Zealand.
The veteran winger burst down the left touchline from behind halfway, before stepping inside and crabbing his way across field to beat five defenders and release to the right, where Adam Ashley-Cooper picked up the pass on the second bounce and crossed untouched in the 72nd minute to complete his hat trick of tries.
The Australians won Sunday’s semifinal 29-15, scoring four tries to nil, but it was the 40-minute break between the last two while Argentina flyhalf Nicolas Sanchez consistently slotted penalty goals that escalated tension into the last 10 minutes. The win set up a decider that trans-Tasman organisers of the first World Cup had in mind in 1987, but didn’t eventuate for eight editions.
Australia and New Zealand have each won the World Cup twice — the All Blacks in '87 and last time around in 2011, each time on home soil, and Wallabies won in 1991 and '99, both previous times tournament been staged in Britain.
The Pumas tried early to play with the same endeavor and panache that earned them a 43-20 win over Ireland in the quarterfinals last week, but it backfired to start with. But simple turnovers cost them repeatedly as David Pocock and Michael Hooper poached turnover ball.
As Australians led 19-9 at halftime, still under pressure at scrum, as expected, and from Sanchez.
The Pumas twice reduced the margin to seven points as the kickers traded goals, making it 22-15 with eight minutes remaining when Ashley-Cooper crossed for his third, and moved to joint fifth on the all-time World Cup list with 11. However, Argentina were unable to keep it going to reach its first Rugby World Cup final.