A high heel flick and double fist pump when lock James Horwill scored the only try of a tight match was followed by a few "pirouettes'' as the final whistle blew in Wellington.
"It's been replayed a few times in the team room,'' he said. "The boys were pretty happy with it. I know I was.
"I don't know if you saw me [at full-time], but I was on halfway jumping up and down, doing pirouettes, and jumping up and down like a fairy. I was carrying on. That might explain the emotion I was going through.''
Ashley-Cooper said the antics were an outpouring of relief following the Wallabies' defeat at the hands of England in Marseille four years ago.
"The whole week I was reflecting on the result back in Marseille and just what it felt like post-game. I tried to share as much as I could with the blokes around me on the feeling they would encounter if we came up short, how unpleasant it is. To get the result and go on further than we did four years ago was just pure relief. I would have been filthy on myself if we had come up short but we didn't.''
With fullback Kurtley Beale in doubt for Sunday's semifinal against the All Blacks at Eden Park with a strained hamstring, Ashley-Cooper could find himself changing positions again, but he revealed he thrives on such challenges.
"Kurtley will be a massive loss for us because he provides so much to the team, not only in attack but just in the mood and excitement of the group. We certainly have our fingers crossed for Kurtley.
"I've played my best football where I've actually been changed [positions] that week, so I'll welcome that challenge if it occurs. It's the unexpected, isn't it? I've always put a lot of pressure on myself and there's always a lot of butterflies, just trying to have faith in the selection and prove the critics wrong.''
Either way, he is likely to see a little more of the ball than he did against the Springboks. "I might have touched the ball defensively, in wrapping the ball up, but I'm not sure I had a ball carry. It probably doesn't look too good on the stats' sheet.
"The way the All Blacks play the game, there is going to be some expansive football played. Given the conditions, if they're right, there's going to be a lot of ball-in-hand stuff. Not only will each member of the squad see the ball, it's going to be an entertaining spectacle for everyone involved.''
Of Australia's other injury concerns, prop Sekope Kepu should be okay following a rolled ankle and Pat McCabe is expected to be available following a shoulder injury.