England will play South Africa in the final of the World Cup at the Stade de France here next Saturday and how they will enjoy the opportunity. After all, the Springboks, winners of the second semi-final last night in one of the worst matches of the tournament, humiliated England 36-0 in the pool round and have, indeed, beaten the champions in their past four meetings.

It is the first time that these two have been paired in a final, the first appearance there by South Africa since they won their own tournament in 1995. But they will hope to play with more efficiency and more ambition than they showed against Argentina, whose glorious run to the semi-finals collapsed in a welter of mistakes and, in the end, bad temper.

Both Juan Smith and Felipe Contepomi were sent to the sin-bin as the match boiled over after Bryan Habana scored his second try of the night — and South Africa’s second from an interception. There was seldom much prospect of Argentina recovering from a 24-6 half-time deficit nor, in the end, did they deserve to, so poor was their control of the ball in the loose and so badly beaten was their lineout.

If this is the end of Agustín Pichot’s international career — there is the third-place final with France still to be played on Friday — and others of this distinguished generation of Pumas, it was an unhappy way to go. Pichot was almost in tears at the post-match press conference, which also marks the climax of Marcelo Loffreda’s career as his country’s coach.

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South Africa arrived at the Stade with no more in mind than to absorb whatever Argentina had to throw at them and, as it turned out, that was not much. Juan Martín Hernández, whose fluent skills have illuminated this tournament at fly half, endured a terrible evening with both his hands and his feet, and not even the energetic Ignacio Corleto at full back could raise the spirits of his team.

The Springboks, beaten in the 1999 semi-finals, will justify their approach by the argument that winning at this stage is all that matters. But it was another sloppy game to place alongside their travails in the quarter-final against Fiji and, even earlier, against Tonga. Their primary attacking weapon was the long kick to pen Argentina in their own half and on the few occasions when the ball travelled beyond Butch James, it usually went to ground.

The writing was on the wall for Argentina, who have never beaten the Springboks save in the guise of South America in 1982, as early as the seventh minute when Contepomi’s flat pass was intercepted by Fourie du Preez. The scrum half needed no second invitation to scoot 70 metres for the first try and Percy Montgomery, the tournament’s leading points-scorer, kicked the first of seven goals on a night which brought him a 100 per cent return.

Hernández was casual to the point of exasperation and South Africa soon sensed that he was not the only one whose playing standards had suddenly slipped. Argentina arrived in the last four battered and bruised from playing so many of the same team throughout and, in a downbeat mood, were in no state to play catch-up rugby.

Contepomi knocked over a couple of first-half penalty goals but François Steyn, the one South Africa back to show a bit of enterprise, hurled a huge crossfield pass that created space on the left for Habana. The wing has been relatively quiet since opening his tournament with four tries against Samoa but here he chipped Lucas Borges and finished from 35 metres.

The most damage was done, however, just before the interval. Hernández knocked on the slippery ball, Steyn sent his support away and Danie Rossouw scored untouched by the posts. Even though Manuel Contepomi was awarded a distinctly doubtful try early in the second half (the centre appeared to bounce the ball over the line), there was an Andes for Argentina to climb and they never even reached base camp.

Montgomery stretched the lead with two more penalties and Habana gobbled up a hurried pass on his own 22 to complete the rout and equal Jonah Lomu’s record of eight tries in a World Cup.

Argentine tempers, already frayed, boiled over, punches were exchanged and Smith, the South Africa flanker, was sent to the sin-bin. It was no surprise when Contepomi, who seemed willing to take the argument further, followed him a minute later for illegal use of his forearm. It was a sad end but South Africa, unconcerned, are where they want to be.

Scorers: Argentina: Try: M Contepomi (45min). Conversion: F Contepomi. Penalty goals: F Contepomi 2 (15, 29). South Africa: Tries: Du Preez (7), Habana 2 (32, 77), Rossouw (40). Conversions: Montgomery 3. Penalty goals: Montgomery 3 (17, 71, 75).

Scoring sequence (Argentina first): 0-7, 3-7, 3-10, 6-10, 6-17, 6-24 (half-time), 13-24, 13-27, 13-30, 13-37.

Argentina: I Corleto; L Borges, M Contepomi (rep: G Tiesi, 66), F Contepomi (sin-bin, 79), H Agulla; J M Hernández, A Pichot; R Roncero, M Ledesma, M Scelzo (rep: O Hasan, 34), I Fernández Lobbe (rep: R Alvarez Kairelis, 53), P Albacete, L Ostiglia (rep: J-M Leguizamon, 66), J-M Fernández Lobbe, G Longo.

South Africa: P Montgomery; J-P Pietersen, J Fourie, F Steyn (rep: W Olivier, 77), B Habana; A James (rep: A Pretorius, 77), F du Preez; J du Randt (rep: J du Plessis, 44-49, 72), J Smit (rep: B du Plessis, 77), C J van der Linde, J Botha (rep: J Muller, 21-29, 77), V Matfield, S Burger, J Smith (sin-bin, 78), D Rossouw (rep: R Skinstad, 75).

Referee: S Walsh (New Zealand).

Attendance: 77,055.