WALLABIES second-rower Dan Vickerman and centre Berrick Barnes are certain to miss the Tri Nations Test against South Africa in Johannesburg on Saturday, after both suffered shoulder injuries during their triumph on the weekend.
Both had to be replaced during the first half after taking major hits from their Springboks opponents.
Vickerman's absence has prompted Wallabies team management to call up Nathan Sharpe from Perth - the pack further weakened after a groggy James Horwill had to be helped from the field during Saturday's game after collecting a heavy knock. And Barnes's absence will result in a back-line reshuffle, with Stirling Mortlock likely to move from outside-centre to inside-centre and Ryan Cross to start at No.13.
In addition, man-of-the-match Rocky Elsom is in doubt after he was cited for pulling down Boks captain Victor Matfield at a lineout. Springboks prop CJ van der Linde will also appear at the judiciary hearing on Monday after being penalised for diving head-first into an opponent at the ruck.
The Springboks' problems run much deeper than missing personnel, however. They are rapidly losing credibility with their impatient supporters, who vented their anger after the loss. Both coach Peter de Villiers and skipper Matfield were booed by the crowd while each did on-field interviews after the match. It was an embarrassing moment for the Springboks, who are not accustomed to falling away on home turf - but worse was to come, with the Sunday Tribune newspaper running the headline: "Give us our money back".
De Villiers and Matfield said they could understand the spectators being upset. "They do have the right to be unhappy," de Villiers said. "South Africa is a proud nation. They want to be winners. So yeah, the one big message we want to put out there is that we will never go out there and lose a game on purpose."
Matfield was as direct, saying: "We're the Springboks. We're the world champs, and we've lost two games in a row. If you go into the change room and have a look at the players, they definitely feel worse than the crowd out there. But it's unacceptable. It's our job. It's our work. It's our passion. And it is not acceptable to play like that."
What is irking the Springboks public and media most is that after winning the World Cup last year with an aggressive, well-structured formula, the new regime has demanded all-out attack and relentless midfield kicking. It seems the players aren't certain what their coach wants from them - and with that comes confusion on the pitch.
But de Villiers was adamant he will not be changing. "I have a new playing style which we are trying to put out there, and Rome wasn't built in one day," the coach said.
"So we have to be patient. I ask the public to give us some time to get to grips about what we want to do. If we execute this playing style correctly, I think with the speed, power and great athleticism, combined with talent, it is going to be enormous, and people are going to find it very hard to stop us."
De Villiers said the Springboks had to change because of the experimental law variations. "Look how we were caught fast asleep in the first part of the Super 14 by not changing," he said. "When the teams started changing, they won the games. So we have to do that.
"The players and myself think we are on the right track. They just have to get used to it, and they will get used to it. We will be there … I'm telling you."
