Stirling Mortlock leaves the playing field on crutches at Newlands. Photo / Getty Images
South Africa 29
Australia 17
Stirling Mortlock was hospitalised as the rampant Springboks put the Wallabies to the sword to bolster their position at the top of the Tri-Nations table.
Mortlock injured his knee as the world champion South Africans extended Australia's losing run at Newlands to 17 years.
The high-flying Boks punished the Wallabies
for a mistake-riddled and ill-disciplined performance to follow up their back-to-back defeats of the All Blacks with another clinical victory.
Superboot Morne Steyn was again instrumental, contributing 24 of South Africa's points from seven penalties and a drop goal. But the Wallabies had only themselves to blame, once again failing to kick on from a promising start after fullback Adam Ashley-Cooper scored after just 98 seconds.
For a 10-minute period either side of halftime the Wallabies were reduced to 13 men after the sin-binnings of Matt Giteau and Richard Brown, while George Smith became Australia's third player yellow-carded in the dying stages of the match.
When Giteau drilled the sideline conversion, the jubilant visitors led 7-0 and had every reason to believe they could finally end their Newlands drought. But, just as they had in Auckland three weeks ago in their 22-16 loss to the All Blacks, the Wallabies were unable to produce the kind of composed performance coach Robbie Deans was looking for.
It was effectively all over at halftime with the Boks leading 23-10.
"It makes it tough," Deans lamented. "But I'm proud of the way they responded in the circumstances ... A year ago we would have capitulated probably, but we were still playing footy at the 80-minute mark and we won the second half, which is a point of difference."
The Wallabies looked sharp early, but the rest of the half belonged to the Springboks. The Wallabies lost their way in a five-minute spell to gift Steyn three penalties and the Boks a 9-7 lead.
Centre Berrick Barnes slotted a left-footed drop goal in the 15th minute to put the Wallabies back in front 10-9.
But another Steyn penalty, followed by a drop goal, and then a try to lock Victor Matfield shot the Springboks out to a 20-10 lead after 25 minutes.
Steyn's fifth penalty goal and a sixth shortly after the break nudged the world champions more than two converted tries ahead. Australia got one back in the 66th minute when Giteau lunged over, but it was not enough to prevent the Wallabies from leaving empty-handed. Steyn had the last say with his seventh penalty 30s from fulltime.AAP
