In erratic Wallabyland, before the team lost their way at Ellis Park yesterday, they even lost some of their clobber.

If you're wondering why Wallabies reserve Drew Mitchell was wearing No 24 during yesterday's debacle, it was because a thief took off with several Test jerseys, including his No 22 jumper, after sneaking into the team room at their hotel yesterday morning.

But as a Wallaby wit explained: "After that big defeat, we're expecting those jerseys to be returned … quickly."

What will not be returned is a great opportunity that was wasted. After the false hope of Durban seven days earlier, the Wallabies came back to earth in Johannesburg when they lost all semblance of forward drive and endeavour to suffer the ignominy of this country's biggest Test loss.

Shortly after, most of the Australian players were in a state of shock - not surprising considering the enormous strides they had made the previous week when they defeated the Springboks with such panache.

Some hours earlier, they had headed to Ellis Park with the sincere belief that they would achieve for the first time since 1963 two successive Test victories on South African soil.

The Durban triumph had convinced them they had the game plan and the poise to take out an opposition which was seemingly about to implode. There had never appeared a better moment to at last get over the Boks on the veldt.

The South African media were treating their national coach Peter de Villiers as a joke, explaining that the senior players had taken over. There had been endless complaints about the team's extravagant style, with calls for a return to the structured, forward-grinding play that had sent everyone to sleep during last year's World Cup but won them the Webb Ellis Trophy.

As De Villiers kept making crazy statements, some locals readily went to Ellis Park anticipating the downfall of the national coach.

Not surprisingly with the home nation in such uproar, this was supposed to be the moment where the Wallabies would prove they were at last over the high veldt factor. And with thousands of seats empty yesterday, Ellis Park was nowhere near its usual intimidating self.

The Wallabies failed to take advantage of that either, and instead revealed that there remains a serious mental issue with this team, particularly their inability to produce two good performances in a row. For the umpteenth time in their recent history, the Wallabies showed they are the masters of cruising when they shouldn't.

They beat the All Blacks in Sydney, and then slacken off in Auckland, being completely overwhelmed by the opposition's intensity.

They beat the Springboks in Perth and Durban, and then slacken off in Johannesburg, again being completely overwhelmed by the opposition's intensity.

Surely it can't be the old Australian trademark of achieving and then wanting to bludge. Shouldn't the professional age bash that out of competitors? Maybe not.

And with it comes the sad suggestion that it is Australia's most dreadful day on a rugby field. Statistically, it is, but in reality it isn't, as the 1997 loss in Pretoria was far worse. That night, several players in the Greg Smith-coached team basically gave up against the Springboks, prompting a mind-numbing 61-22 thrashing. The few Australians at the ground felt sick to the core.

At least yesterday all of the Wallabies were trying, even though a lot of what they attempted was pretty hideous. They missed Dan Vickerman and Berrick Barnes but that does not excuse their dreadful midfield defence, abominable handling and being completely outplayed at the breakdown.

Lineout throwing was a serious problem, as was the inability to match the physicality of many of the Springbok forwards.

With a Tri Nations decider against the All Blacks looming, the importance of coach Robbie Deans, a man unaccustomed to such embarrassing match days, immediately lifting this devastated team will be one of the hardest tests of his coaching career.