Rugby World Cup 2015 Semifinal results, match highlights: Australia defeats Argentina to set clash with New Zealand in RWC final

Australia secured a date with New Zealand in the 2015 Rugby World Cup (RWC) final after the Wallabies defeated Argentina 29-15 in their semifinal showdown at Twickenham Stadium on Monday. Adam Ashley-Cooper was the man of the match for Australia, completing a hat-trick of tries in the second half to help the Wallabies seal the victory.

Australia will face neighbours New Zealand in the final RWC fixture of the tournament this weekend after the Wallabies convincingly win their last four round matchup against the Pumas, who will battle for third place against South Africa on Saturday. Wing Ashley-Cooper and David Pocock made the difference for the Wallabies, with the former scoring two of Australia’s three first half tries and the latter snatching a game-high four turnovers and 13 carries.

Everything went well for Australia at the start of the RWC game as Rob Simmons opened the Wallabies’ scoring with a try at the two-minute mark. Two first-half tries from Ashley-Cooper helped Australia build a 19-9 lead before the interval, but it could have been more if Bernard Foley did not miss a conversion in Ashley-Cooper’s second try.

Wallabies coach Michael Cheika was happy with the way his side won but admitted that their victory was just the beginning of claiming the championship of the quadrennial rugby tournament.

"I'm really happy with the lads' defence," Cheika said, reports Stuff. "We've given ourselves the opportunity to play in a World Cup final and we'll work out how we're going to do it against a pretty dynamic team.”

Argentina was poised to bounce back after the interval after Nicolas Sanchez’s fourth successive penalty kicks put the Pumas just seven points away from levelling with Australia. However, it was the closest Argentina could reach, with Ashley-Cooper completing his hat-trick late in the game to seal Australia’s win.

The Pumas’ experience in playing against the southern hemisphere powers in the Rugby Championship served them well all throughout the tournament, but apparently, it was not enough to topple the Australians’ bid to reach the final round of the Rugby World Cup. Argentina coach Daniel Hourcade believes the Pumas are on the right path despite losing their second RWC semifinal appearance.

"Everyone will agree that we should be very proud of this team,” Hourcade said, reports World Rugby. “It is a learning curve; we review the mistakes we made and our legacy will be the way we play the game."