South Africans celebrate victory over Australia

Australia almost pulled off one of the most famous and thrilling victories in their rugby history as a decimated Wallaby team heroically took it to the Springboks before falling 22-19 at Perth.

While the Wallabies attacked with real vigour and invention, the South Africans laid in wait, like big game hunters, and two runaway tries to the extreme pace of Bryan Habana settled the match.

It remains to be seen if the Wallabies' endeavour has stayed the guillotine on the careers of Wallaby coach Eddie Jones and iconic halfback George Gregan.

"Four more years", a gloating Gregan mouthed at fallen All Black halfback Justin Marshall as the full impact of that infamous semi-final at the 2003 Rugby World Cup became obvious. Last night, after the Wallabies lost this heart-stopper, Gregan's own future faced a far lengthier sentence.

Faced with howls for his head as the Wallabies endured back-to-back losses in South Africa and then to the All Blacks in Sydney last week, Gregan needed a victory and a show of form to keep the wolves from his heels. He managed the latter but not the former and one of the finest servants of Australian and international rugby could be heading for the "former Wallaby" file.

That's not to say that last night's loss - setting up the Tri Nations for a "final" in Dunedin when the All Blacks meet the Boks on Saturday - was down to Gregan alone. It clearly wasn't. In fact, he played rather well, ever the ringmaster.

But the Wallabies are now staring at a rapid re-building phase for 2007 and it seems ever more likely that it will not include the little halfback.

The scene was set from the first minutes when Australia pressed hard and had the Springboks rattled. But a move broke down, Schalk Burger gathered and passed skilfully and a goal-line counter-attack was on. The ball was fed to low-flying missile Bryan Habana who outpaced the Wallabies' thin cover.

As Habana blazed a trail for the Wallaby goal-line, Gregan, as ever, was covering across. New Zealanders will all remember the famous try-saving, test-saving tackle Gregan made on All Black winger Jeff Wilson in 1994.

This time, he never got close. Gregan chucked in the towel as Habana went past him like disappearing youth. It was impossible not to spot the symbolism.

For all that, however, Gregan played pretty well. He snapped out his pass and directed play cleverly as Australia pushed the Boks hard in the opening 20 minutes. They produced faster ball than the All Blacks allowed them the previous week, tackled like men possessed and made all the running, with the Boks again relying on defensive stubbornness and rapid-reaction counter-attack.

But Gregan was fingered heavily the previous week for not making as many probing runs from the rucks and mauls as the All Blacks' tyro halfback Piri Weepu. And when the media and many rugby identities combine in such judgement, that is a chorus which doesn't suffer many discords.

It didn't help either that, in Ricky Januarie, South Africa have a fizzing, aggressive squib of a halfback. Again, comparisons with Gregan are inevitable - Januarie is also coloured and an angry wasp of a player, buzzing into a ruck here, making a stinging tackle there and who doesn't consider lack of size to be an impediment worth contemplating.

In the second quarter, South Africa began to prise the match from the Wallabies' clenched fingers. They bombed a try when a Burger burst from a mis-thrown Wallaby lineout which led to first five-eighths Andre Pretorius feeding an overlap with a long pass which bounced off Habana's shoulder. The line was as wide open as Kruger National Park.

But, with some sometimes pedantic refereeing from Ireland's Alain Rolland, Percy Montgomery kept potting the penalties and the Boks went to the break 14-6 up.

Whatever else you can say about Australia rugby right now, you cannot but admire their guts. They climbed straight back into the Boks in the second half, with a sizzling run by fullback Drew Mitchell ripping up the South African defence into tiny shreds.

On this form, you'd keep Mitchell at fullback against the All Blacks - he has a Christian Cullen-like ability to break the first tackles and his pace and sleight of foot are good enough to keep such names as Mat Rogers and Chris Latham at bay. But, in spite of some pressing play, they came away only with a third Rogers penalty and the impressive Montgomery landed a 48 metre field goal to restore the balance.

It took another piece of near brilliance - this time from centre Morgan Turinui who broke a feeble tackle from Pretorius to set up a 40-metre try to Clyde Rathbone - and the Wallabies were only a point down at 17-16. With the match in the balance, the Wallabies, totally admirable in their attacking endeavour, threw heart, soul and never-say-die steadfastness at the Boks. Rathbone, winger Lote Tuqiri and flanker Phil Waugh were standouts.

But the Boks have a well of their own steadfastness, that stoic defence held. A dropped ball led to Haban being fed again on the counter and that blistering pace did the rest.

Australia 19

(C.Rathbone try; M. Rogers con and four penalties)

South Africa 22

(B. Habana 2 tries; P. Montgomery 3 pens; dropped goal)

Halftime: 14-6 South Africa.

- HERALD ON SUNDAY