PARIS, 8 October - Argentina created history on Sunday night by qualifying for their first world cup semi-final after defeating the bravehearts from Scotland 19-13 at the Stade de France.
Both teams played a similar brand of rugby but the dominance of the South Americans' forward pack gave them the edge for victory.
"We definitely did throw the kitchen sink at it (the match)," Scotland coach Frank Hadden said.
"We knew Argentina, because of the energy they put into the breakdown, were going to tire at some stage and we nearly capitalised on that.
"Obviously, this isn't the position we wanted to be in at the end of the match but I'm very confident that our young side will learn from this.
"Some of these young players have matured a lot in a very short time."
Argentina captain Agustín Pichot declared his side the most cohesive in Pumas history.
"This team is more than just a (Juan Martín) Hernández or a (Felipe) Contepomi. I have been playing in the national team for several years (13) and it's hard to find a group with such well-defined goals," the Argentine half back said.
Family spirit
"After '99 there were huge changes. It was at that point we began creating a team.
"It's a process, a long one, but a historic process. We all need to enjoy these lovely moments of success. We have played together so well, there have been positives and negatives, but we face everything as a family."
Argentina will return to Stade de France next Sunday to face South Africa in the second semi-final.
Wing Horacio Agulla said the Pumas were not afraid of the Springboks.
"It will be a war," he said.
Pumas coach Marcelo Loffreda said he had already started preparing for the Springboks.
"Fiji gave us some guidelines for finding weaknesses in South Africa. We know their history and their strength but we are going to find their weak points," he said.
"We will be able to attack them from somewhere."
Loffreda said his biggest task would be keeping his side focused.
"This is the biggest success we could have imagined," he said.
"We realise we have achieved something Argentina has never achieved before. This is one of the greatest achievements in Argentinian history.
"It's not over and we have to remember to keep up the good work in the next week."
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