Boks' exit brings back unhappy memories

Monday morning in the lounge at Wellington Airport brought back some bad memories.

Here were my South African colleagues, people who have become good friends, trying to come to grips with the fact that the Springboks were going home with two weeks still to play in the World Cup.

One of them carried the whiff of Listerene on his breath, and I decided it was best not to ask if he had gargled it to disguise the effects of a night spent drowning his sorrows, or trying to get a bad taste from Sunday's match out of his mouth.

Not a time for gallows humour, as I know from bitter experience. We Kiwis have been there more times than you South Africans have in World Cups, and it could easily be our turn again next week.

The scene at the airport did remind me very much of the aftermath of the All Blacks' early exit four years ago.

I called Sundays match with Justin Marshall, and we thought before, during, and right up to the final minute, that South Africa would win, and I’m still not sure how they didn’t.

Of course many are blaming referee Bryce Lawrence, as New Zealanders did Wayne Barnes four years ago.

I thought before the match that it was unwise to appoint a referee from a country whose team was in line to meet the winner next up, because it would inevitably lead to claims of an agenda.

The Aussie press made a big play of it during the lead-up, pointing out the Lawrence penalty count against the Wallabies when Ireland ripped them in pool play, and claiming he would be a major impediment to their team's chances, but I really don’t believe Lawrence is the sort to be swayed by such stuff.

He has also been vilified by some in the British media, but don’t assume that’s because they feel sympathy for the Springboks. I know that one of the harshest critics still holds a grudge because he thinks Lawrence cost the Lions victory in South Africa in the first test in 2009, when he repeatedly penalised their front row.

On Sunday he was guilty, as has been the case with too many of the refs at this tournament, of simply letting too much go at the breakdown.

The worst case of this came just before halftime when the Boks were hot on attack, right on the Aussie line, and Rocky Elsom got away with fiddling the ball onto the Aussie side. He should have been penalised, and probably yellow-carded, which would have had dire ramifications for Australia.

The Springboks still had ample opportunities to win the game. They had one try ruled out for a forward pass, and even if it wasn’t as forward as the one that allowed France to beat the All Blacks four years ago, it was still forward.

The Boks had a 6-4 penalty count, stole four lineouts, had over 50 percent of the ball, a massive 67 percent of territory, nearly five minutes in the Wallaby 22 and forced Australia to make almost four times the number of tackles. Add to that the fact that Quade Cooper was having a shocker, and yet they still couldn’t find a way to score the three points that would have given them victory, let alone a try.

They also made a tough job even harder by giving away two needless penalty goals, one by Jannie du Plessis at a ruck, the other, fatal one, by Danie Rossouw, when he lifted up Radike Samo's leg in a lineout.

There were other factors, none more significant than the loss of flanker Heinrich Brussouw who obviously went into the game carrying a rib injury that had been kept quiet, and didn’t last long. His departure left David Pocock to rule the breakdown. And of course there was the absence of Frans Steyn, who might have turned one of those long-range penalty attempts into a goal.

But in the end it was not to be, and it was an especially sad way for the great careers of Victor Matfield and John Smit to end.

It was a match played too early in the tournament. It would have been a worthy semi or final, and that reflects the fickle nature of tournament rugby, and the effect one result (Ireland's win over the Wallabies) can have on the whole scheme of things.

So now the Wallabies will play the All Blacks, something many Kiwi fans were hoping to avoid because of the Robbie Deans factor.

This World Cup is turning into a war of attrition and the All Blacks have now lost Mils Muliaina and Colin Slade for the rest of the tournament. Slade has been unconvincing, and I don’t think they will lose anything for having an altogether more confident Cruden there, even if he is nowhere near Dan Carter's class.

Although they took a long time to get on top of Argentina, in the end it was a win by the comfortable margin of 23 points, and they did that without really showing too much of their hand on attack.

But to me Wales bring the most impressive form of all into the semis. Against Ireland their rush defence was outstanding, and they have some real quality in their attack, although they too, have been getting away with an awful lot at the breakdown.

Wales are a young side, however, and are no sure bet against a France team that showed against England how dangerous they can be when they put their mind to it.

England were dreadful, and their whole campaign has been a disgrace. They have played some garbage rugby and have behaved like yobs off the field, starting with the antics of Mike Tindall in a Queenstown bar, and ending with Manu Tuilagi jumping off an Auckland Harbour ferry into the water on Sunday evening, an act that could have ended in tragedy.