Wellington – If the old adage holds true that to be a champion you first have to beat one, then Australia's 11-9 win over South Africa on Sunday could be proof the Wallabies have the tools to win the World Cup.
Starved of possession and forced to defend from deep inside their own territory for most of the quarter-final match, the Wallabies produced an extraordinary display to beat the defending World Cup champions in a nailbiting encounter.
The Wallabies, a comparatively young team packed with players appearing in their first World Cup, made a whopping 147 tackles, almost three times as many as South Africa, but managed to keep the Springboks tryless, conceding just two penalties and a drop goal in 80 pressure-packed minutes.
“What you saw, was the most experienced World Cup side really turn the screws on the youngest but I think the (Australians) came of age,” Wallabies coach Robbie Deans told reporters.
“I think you saw an epic World Cup encounter. That's what makes this game what it is.”
While Australia's defence and composure was top-notch, there were plenty of areas of concern for Deans and his players.
The scrum, Australia's long-time Achilles' heel, was under constant pressure, with number eight Radike Samo having to pick up the ball from the base to protect scrumhalf Will Genia, and the Wallabies lost five lineouts on their own throw.
“In games like that you have to find a way to win and that's what we did,” said the Australian captain James Horwill, who scored the only try of the match.
“We don't think we got out of jail. We think we got the result we deserved because of the work we put in.
“I thought the scrum held up well. It was huge effort from all the guys in the forwards. But (the lineout) was a part of the game that wasn't good enough. We'll go back to the drawing board and work on that.”
While both Deans and Horwill conceded the Wallabies had plenty to work on if they were to win the tournament, they do at least have an omen in the favour if the pattern of all the previous World Cups is repeated.
Every defending World Cup champion has been beaten at the next tournament by the team that went on to win the Webb Ellis trophy.
The quirky sequence began when Australia beat New Zealand, who won the first World Cup in 1987, in the semi-finals of the 1991 World Cup before going on to won the final for the first time.
In 1995, the Wallabies lost the opening match to South Africa, who went on to win the final in Johannesburg.
Four years later, Australia avenged their loss to the Springboks when they beat them in the semi-finals before going on to win the World Cup for a second time.
In 2003, England became the first northern hemisphere team to win the World Cup when they defeated Australia in the final, then four years later they lost the decider to South Africa.
“I'm not superstitious but I'll believe in anything that will work for us,” Deans said when asked if Australia could keep the sequence going.
“But I do know we will be better off for this game.” – Reuters