Once again Australians are forced to defend another strong performance by this young Wallaby outfit that just could not manage to finish ahead of their opponent despite leading for most of the match. It is apparent that this team is very close to Australia's top XV that will spearhead our World Cup campaign; however basic lapses in this Tri Nations tournament belies the true potential of this cohort. Kurtley Beale has come of age and finally cements a spot in the 1st XV at fullback, allowing Adam Ashley-Cooper to make the outside centre jersey his permanent home. With Digby Ioane and Peter Hynes to return from injury on the wings to add an extra spark the outside backs are looking like match winners. Matt Giteau and Quade Cooper’s paring in the mid-field is excellent with them interchanging, at will, to counteract opposition defensive patterns worked a treat overnight in Pretoria.

The plethora of tries at the beginning stanza of this match is anathema to what we have expected by this era of tight defensive play in modern rugby. A refreshingly cavalier approach by both teams in this dead rubber match provided entertaining rugby, after each sustained disappointing losses to the All Blacks. Loose forward David Pocock was once again a standout for the Wallabies with Nathan Sharpe putting in another exemplary performance that was sorely missed when replaced which resulted in the lineout deteriorating. Two attacking lineouts deep in Springbok territory should have been retained and a matching winning try would have slanted the game in favour of the visitors. Instead Victor Matfield proved in his 100th test that he still has the goods by stealing those two lineouts giving the Springboks the edge that led to their 44-31 win.

Fortunately the Wallabies have another chance of redemption by disposing of South Africa next week in Bloemfontein then fly across to Sydney to play the Kiwis. Ideally winning both matches will vindicate the choices made by the coaching staff and build momentum going into a World Cup year; however losing one or both matches will have the rugby viewing public questioning what form the Wallabies will take into next year. It is time for this emerging side to start converting their half-time leads into full-time wins.