Writing in the The Australian, Wayne Smith bemoans the fact that Australia lost their cutting edge at precisely the wrong time.
"The Wallabies have gone backwards throughout their World Cup campaign, retreating further and further from the attacking game that had threatened to make them real contenders at this tournament.
"Leaving aside the 21 tries they scored in pool-round romps against the United States and Russia, the Wallabies scored only five tries in four Tests against Six Nations or Tri-Nations opponents, and four of those came in the space of 20 inspired minutes against Italy in their opening match.
"The All Blacks held them tryless last night, as did Ireland when they stunned the Wallabies with a 15-6 upset during the round robin stage, which meant all they had to show for 240 minutes of effort against the three quality sides they encountered at this tournament was a solitary try against the Springboks."
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