Tri-Nations Series/Australia 25 South Africa 17:South Africa's stand-in skipper Bob Skinstad is in danger of missing the World Cup after breaking a rib in his team's 25-17 Tri-Nations loss to Australia in Sydney on Saturday.
The number eight faces a race against a time getting ready for the World Cup, starting in France in September.
South Africa coach Jake White has called up utility forward Gerrie Britz and said Skinstad's injury vindicated his decision to leave most of his best players at home.
"It could be a lot worse; I could be sitting here with my front-line players out for six months," White said. "It just reaffirms as a coach that the decisions we've made in the last four years have been the right decisions."
White was heavily criticised by the Australian Rugby Union for choosing a second-string team for matches in Australia and New Zealand after fielding his strongest team for home matches.
He dismissed suggestions his selections had undermined the credibility of the Tri-Nations, saying he chose a team he thought could win: "We're not happy with losing, we really came here to wi. . . to give ourselves a chance to go to New Zealand and win the Tri-Nations, that was basically our goal."
The South Africans looked set for a remarkable win on Saturday when they scored two early tries and raced to a 17-0 lead inside 10 minutes.
Those tries came through flanker Wikus van Heerden and winger Breyton Paulse, who intercepted a long pass from Wallaby lock Nathan Sharpe and sprinted over from 50 meters.
But the Australians clawed their way back.
Flanker and man of the match Stephen Hoiles, wing Mark Gerrard and centre Matt Giteau touched down for the Wallabies, who did not take the lead until 11 minutes into the second half.
Some stubborn defence and Australian errors kept a lid on the scoring in a game dominated by the home team for long periods; the Wallabies enjoyed 61 percent of the possession.
The victory puts Australia atop the Tri-Nations standings with just their New Zealand leg to play.
It also handed the halfback combination of George Gregan and Stephen Larkham a dream send-off in their last appearances on home soil for the Wallabies.
"I was confident we would work our way back into it," Wallaby coach John Connolly said. "We controlled the middle 50 minutes well and I was disappointed we didn't go on."
The sinbinning of Springbok hooker Gary Botha 15 minutes in the second half allowed Australia to turn the screw and Giteau squirmed through a tackle on the line for the decisive try.
Outhalf Larkham, winning his 100th cap, said he was disappointed with a "patchy" personal performance.
"There were a few errors that were a little bit disappointing for me that crept into my game," he said.
He and Gregan had received standing ovations from the 51,000 crowd when they ran on individually at the start of the game, a reception Larkham said he found "a little embarrassing".
White said the game showed the depth of South African rugby: "I'm very happy with where we are with the squad of players. We're not happy with losing . . . But there are a lot of positives you can take out of the game."
The All Blacks host South Africa on July 14th and Australia a week later. Australia top the standings on nine points, four ahead of New Zealand, who have a game in hand, and South Africa.
AUSTRALIA: Huxley; Gerrard, Mortlock, Giteau, Ashley-Cooper; Larkham, Gregan; Dunning, Freier, Shepherdson; Sharpe, Vickerman; Elsom, Smith, Hoiles. Replacements: Hardman, Baxter, McMeniman, Lyons, Waugh, Staniforth, Mitchell.
SOUTH AFRICA: Fortuin; Paulse, Murray, Olivier, Pietersen; Hougaard, Pienaar; van der Linde, Botha, J du Plessis; Ackermann, Muller; van Heerden, Wannenburg, Skinstad. Replacements: B du Plessis, Andrews, van den Berg, Cronje, Claassens, Grant, Pretorius.
Referee: P Honiss (New Zealand).
