The Springboks suffered their third straight loss in the 2010 TriNations leaving them a mountain to climb if they are to harbour any hope of retaining their title this year.
The Springboks now have a points deficit of -51 points and after three matches they have yet to secure any points on the table at all.
Last year when the Springboks won the TriNations they played their first three matches at home but this season they had to play their first three matches away from home which indicates how important home advantage is in the TriNations.
Bok captain John Smit admitted after losing to Australia that they have left themselves much work to do when they get home including building up some lacking pride.
"It's not a good start for us at all," Smit told Sky after the game.
"When you go away from home you've got to try to get some points, we haven't done so. So we've got a lot of work to do back home.
"I think when you have a good season it's harder the next season and you've got to work even harder so we've got to make sure we do that work so we can get some pride back at home.
"It's nice to get home but we're also disappointed we're not taking any points back."
The Wallabies played the Springboks at pace just as the All Blacks did in their two victories and the visitors on all three occasions could not cope with the pace. Having two players sent to the bin for indiscretions did not help matters.
"It was (a fast tempo). So it should be, that's the way you want to see it played," said the Springbok captain.
"We've just got to try and make sure we keep our full team on there for the full 80," said Smit.
Smit's opposition captain Rocky Elsom said that the tempo of the game was the way that they want to play the game.
"It's great to have a win here," Elsom said. "That's the style we want to play all the time."
"Playing it is not as easy as it seems sometimes. It didn't go perfectly in the beginning but we stuck to it and it paid off for us. "
Wallaby coach Robbie Deans said that their game plan was to tire the Springboks by keeping the ball in play and to kep the pace of the game as fast as possible - not unlike the game plan adopted by the Reds who play in the Super 14 at the same venue.
"We wanted to build as much pressure as we could and to do that you've got to keep the ball," Deans said.
"It wasn't always successful but we asked enough to sap them and it made it more difficult when they did get the ball in terms of their attack."
Deans added that he was pleased with the result of the game but admitted that they will have to take a step up next week in Melbourne when they face the All Blacks.
"I'm clearly happy with the performance. There was a lot of stuff to be proud of, particularly the defence. We know next week we've got a (New Zealand) team coming who will do that plus a bit.
"They've got a lot of patience, they'll work us around, and we'll have to finish the opportunities that we get.
"We created some opportunities and didn't finish them so that's always frustrating. You usually don't get many in Tri-Nations but we created a few so that was good."
Springbok coach Peter de Villiers who's position as head coach must surely be under pressure now after his antics on and off the field said that his team had not performed the way he had wanted them to.
"We didn't get the result that we badly wanted." said De Villiers.
"We did put some good plays together but we didn't capitalise from that. "
"But the Wallabies were quite sound today, they were hard on the ball, all credit to them."
.jpg)
