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 yesterday 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 nail-biting 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.
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 nail-biting 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.
