TWICKENHAM -- Amid the obvious devastation from Sunday's semifnal defeat to Australia, Juan Martin Fernandez Lobbe encapsulated the overwhelming sense of pride in the Argentina camp. Daniel Hourcade's Pumas refuse to vacate the inebriating bravura which has so far invigorated this Rugby World Cup.
Their passion and class, both on and off the pitch, has been captivating. With last weekend's scintillating quarterfinal victory over Ireland seemingly a distant memory, Lobbe was quick to acknowledge the Wallabies had simply been too good at Twickenham. However, there are no plans to abandon the free-flowing values ahead of Friday's bronze medal showdown with South Africa.
"Regrets? No. Last week [against Ireland] every bounce went our way and today we went out with the same ideas, but they dominated the breakdown and every bounce went their way," Lobbe said of Michael Cheika's victorious side.
"We were devastated. We had a dream for us to play next Saturday, not Friday, but we got in front of a really good team and they never give up. We threw everything we had, organised, not organised and everything we had we put it on the pitch today, but we couldn't score and that was the difference today. It is horrible to lose in a semi-final.
"The only regret would be if we didn't give it everything and we didn't believe in what we were doing. The better team won and won comfortably.
"We're happy to make people proud of the way we play, because that is how rugby should be played, with a lot of heart and passion. Put everything on the pitch and just enjoy it and throw the ball around."
As was the sense of Sunday's enthralling spectacle in south west London -- but all good things must come to an end. Even the Argentina fans, who have been incessantly loud all tournament, fell silent as the two-time world champions dominated proceedings at HQ.
That was largely down to the brilliance of the Australian back row. While Adam Ashley-Cooper's hat-trick will undoubtedly steal the headlines, the performances of David Pocock, Michael Hooper and Scott Fardy were nothing short of sublime. Their combined suppression of Argentina's dynamic backs will give New Zealand plenty to think about before Saturday's final.
"Hooper and Pocock made all of the balls really slow for us," Lobbe said. "When you play on the front foot and with quick ball, defence is very tough. They managed it very well today. I'm really amazed with how they defended -- it's not by chance that they're the best two players in the ruck. We've improved in the breakdown but today we came in front of the best."
The future, though, certainly looks bright for Argentinian rugby. Unlike their third-place finish in 2007, in which Lobbe starred, this year's successes have come as less of a shock. The 2012 inclusion into the Rugby Championship is paying dividends, while their historic victory over the Springboks in August should stand them in good stead for Friday's clash at the Olympic Stadium.
And, with much of Argentina's breakthrough youth having signed up to their new Super Rugby franchise, the inevitable loss of the old guard should be compensated by the equilibrium of their future talent playing both club and international rugby together.
"I am very excited about it," Lobbe said. "The players, the people in charge, everyone has the right mind-set and they are staying humble. So if they stay humble and keep working hard and keep enjoying it we can look at the future with a lot of excitement.
"They are going to play Super Rugby, they are going to play the Rugby Championship and they are going to be together the entire year. I'm not saying we're going to win the World Cup, I'm saying you're going to enjoy a lot of good rugby from Argentina.
"The way we are trying to play for us is amazing and I think people like the way we try to play. For us, it's just a game of rugby and it is fun. That is a good plus for us."
Staying humble has always been the Argentina way. While attention has already turned to equalling their best ever World Cup finish against Heyneke Meyer's side in Stratford, there is still interest in who will be crowned champions. Lobbe has faced both the All Blacks and Australia in England, but the Toulon star knows he will be cheering on the latter next weekend - if only to see a smile on a familiar face.
"Just because Mario [Ledesma] is with Australia, I hope he wins it," Lobbe said. "It is going to be an amazing game. I'm really going to enjoy it in front of the TV. I hope the weather stays right so that they can play rugby like we played today. They are the best two teams in this World Cup, so they deserve to be in the final."