South Africa clinched the bronze medal at the 2015 Rugby World Cup with a classy 24-13 victory over Argentina at the London Olympic Stadium on Friday.Tries from JP Pietersen andEben Etzebethand 14 points from the boot of Handre Pollard helped the Springboks to a comfortable win, while two kicks fromNicolas Sanchez, a try from Juan Pablo Orlandiand a conversion fromLucas Amorosinogot the jaded Pumas XV on the scoreboard.ITV Rugby gave us a reminder of how the two teams set up for this encounter:One of the most enamouring facets of Argentinas play at this competition had been their aggression, but it spiralled into rashness on Friday. Tomas Cubelli was shown a yellow card inside the opening four minutes for the Pumas after a cynical offence on the ground, putting his team immediately on the back foot.Naturally, a side as strong as South Africa capitalised quickly. With an extra man, the Springboks were able to work around the sides of a narrow defensive shape as Willie le Roux fed Pietersen for the opening try.Heres a look at the score, which was subsequently converted by Pollard, as South Africa went in front, 7-0:The early points galvanised the Springboks. Bryan Habana, needing one try to become the top try-scorer in World Cup history, had a score chalked off after a video analysis showed he didnt ground the ball. But it wasnt long until they added to their lead, with Pollard slotting a fine penalty from 35 metres and giving Argentina an early mountain to climb at 10-0.The fly-half added two more simple penalties before the interval, giving the Springboks what looked like an insurmountable 16-0 lead after 40 minutes.Head coach Heyneke Meyer's game plan was working superbly, as South Africas efficiency in the lineout and aggressive defensive press were starving Argentina of good ball. Although, the Pumas didnt help themselves with some overly flashy pieces of play when openings did materialise.Alan Smith of the Guardian noted at the interval how much the 2007 champions seem to enjoy playing at this particular venue:The second period saw Argentina respond well initially, as a Sanchez drop goal finally got them on the scoreboard. Although, it was only to be only a brief respite from South African pressure, as the men in green were intent on reasserting their dominance.Some fast hands from HabanaallowedEtzebethto burst into space, and he made no mistake touching down. Unfortunately for the Springboks, Pollard did, unable to convert the try. Although, he did make amends minutes later with his fourth penalty of the night, pushing South Africa to a 24-3 lead.It was superb work from Habana, but as we can see here, courtesyof the Irish Times' AndyMcGeady,there was suspicion of the pass going forward:Sanchez slotted another penalty to make some inroads into the South Africa lead, but Argentina started to look as though the rigours of the strenuous tournament were finally taking their toll.Indeed, the final stages of the match were about saying farewell to some greats of the game who are set to retire after the tournament. Argentina'sJuan Martin Fernandez Lobbe was withdrawn, as were Springbok legendsSchalk Burger and Victor Matfield, all to outstanding ovations from the crowd.Biarritz wingerIain Balshaw paid tribute to Lobbe and Burger as they bid their goodbyes to international rugby:Another legend playing his final game for South Africa was Habana, and Meyer made the bold decision to withdraw him from the action late, even though he never got the try he needed to surpass All Blacks legend Jonah Lomu. The winger did have chances in the match to break the record butfinished his international career with 15 World Cup tries.The flurry of late changes did sap the life out of the match, as handling errors crept into both teams' play. Much to the delight of the Olympic Stadium crowd, Argentina did go over in the final seconds throughOrlandi ona try that was converted by Amorosino to add some gloss to the final scoreline of 24-13.The win for South Africa capped off a World Cup of major ups and downs. The Springboks ran into a superb New Zealand side in the semi-finals and should be proud of their showing at the tournament. Argentinas efforts also proved they are making massive progress as a rugby nation and will be a force to be reckoned with in 2019.Still, while a bronze medal is some sort of consolation for the Springboks, it wont be enough to banish the heartbreak of the semi-final loss, especially for their retiring icons. Indeed, watching New Zealand and Australia square off at Twickenham in Saturday's final will be a galling experience for the South Africa players despite Friday's win.Post-Match ReactionMatfield admitted afterwards that while this win was sweet, it's gutting not to be in the World Cup final, per BBC Sport: "We would loved to have played in the final tomorrow but unfortunately things didn't go our way.We have a lot of respect for Argentina. A bronze medal is better than fourth place.I'm just so relieved we won the game. We'll have a beer with Schalk Burger and the guys I've spent so much of my life with."
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