With rugby relying so much these days on the use of the television match official (TMO), have we created a group of players who are just whingers when things don't go their way?

What happened to playing the whistle? What happened to accepting the ref's call?

Well, I can tell you. The game is so much more powerful now that people's livelihoods are at stake and the consequences are far greater than they ever were. I was taught by my father, and already teach my children, to play to the whistle and accept the ref's call.

Sometimes it works in your favour and sometimes it doesn't.

The first instinct now, if something doesn't go your way, is to throw the hands up and plead to the ref.

Then there is the coin factor. The monetary loss for a team to exit a tournament early has to be significant. The flow-on effect with sponsors, or lack of, means we have to, just about every time, go upstairs to get an adjudication on a try.

The most recent scrutinising of an official's decision was the last penalty given to the Wallabies in the quarter-final against Scotland. Emotions were running high and what could have been a fairytale finish turned on its head for the Scots.

I did like Cheika's call about the romance of what could have been, but the ref called it straight away. I am happy with that.

Call it accidental offside, or whatever you like, it was offside. The Scottish prop chased that ball like a kid in a candy store. The player was in front of the ball when he took possession. Accidental, maybe, but he knew what he was doing in the moment.

The other situation that gets me is the intercept; whether the hand is going up or down in the action of trying to take the intercept. I loved trying for the last-ditch play; it's about getting it just right – the timing.

I remember being penalised for intentionally knocking the ball down one game and I was so taken aback by the ref's call I argued with him and said I was genuinely going for the ball. I was certainly not a cynical player, but the interpretation by some bloke in the stands differs from mine because he has a badge? Please.

For example, Bernard Foley v England in the second half down the right-hand side. Foley made the intercept play then got pulled back off the ball by Joe Marler. A penalty was awarded. The problem was, it went to the wrong team. If Foley had regathered, he runs 80 metres and scores. The England player was at fault.

Don't get me wrong, this Rugby World Cup has been the best tournament for the quality of the footy played. The skills have been outstanding, but where it's getting lost, I think, is in the interpretation of the game. The "feel" of the game is being lost, the moments.

It's being lost because the people making the decisions are trying to cover their own backside and not make a decision. So, in effect, you have to take it out of the referee's hands. Be clinical, be precise as a team to try as much as possible to avoid that grey area of the TMO. Pretty much what Argentina did to Ireland in that first 20 minutes of their quarter-final.

That game has given the Wallabies so much to think about and how they need to combat this competent team who were always regarded as a scrummaging team, but who are now a much more expansive side.

That first 20 minutes for Argentina, I think, contained the best passages of play in the tournament so far and left me wanting to see more.

Matt Giteau was adamant during the week the Wallabies won't take Argentina lightly, and for good reason. They have gained so much experience from the Rugby Championship and the confidence of competing with the big boys. In fact, they are now one of the big boys.

So how tough is this for the Wallabies? It's a semi-final in the Rugby World Cup. It's massive, and with injuries still hanging over the team, now is the time for their winning mentality to come to the fore.

The Wallabies must dominate in defence, calling on the resilience they showed against the Welsh.

Argentina will have no fears playing the Wallabies. They beat them last year, and they are well coached.

It all points to a tough outing for our boys.