Did Australia have one foot on the plane and their minds in Brisbane already, thinking of the Tri-Nations decider against New Zealand on September 13?

It's a valid question, as they slumped to their worst defeat ever against South Africa — a 8-53 hammering in Johannesburg on Saturday, with the Springboks outscoring the Wallabies by eight tries to one.

The 45-point victory margin surpasses the Boks' previous biggest win over the Aussies — which was a 61-22 (eight tries to three) win in Pretoria back in 1997.

Jan de Koning rates the Australian players' performances!

15 Adam Ashley-Cooper: He did nothing wrong and was okay under the high ball, but nothing special. Like most Wallabies he looked like he wanted to go home. 5/10

14 Peter Hynes (replaced by Drew Mitchell in the 53rd min): Great double hand-off on two Boks in one move early in the game, but slid into mediocrity very soon after — including a kick that went directly into touch. 4/10

13 Stirling Mortlock: His worst game of the year — including knocks, poor passes and some ordinary defence. Was his mind in Brisbane already, where Australia face New Zealand in the tournament decider in a fortnight? 3/10

12 Timana Tahu (replaced by Ryan Cross in 51st min): Not the great revelation they had made him out to be. As is the case with most League converts, his defence is suspect — maybe because he can't shoulder-charge people off the ball in Rugby Union. His positional play was not that great either. 4/10

11 Lote Tuqiri: There was that early knock-on with an open tryline and even though he produced some good support play, he was generally kept quiet by a strong Bok defence. 5/10

10 Matt Giteau: So, he is human after all. Not as accurate as usual and had that shocker of a 22 restart — which created the field position from which the Boks scored a little while later. 4/10

9 Sam Cordingley (replaced in 53rd min by Brett Sheehan): He was simply just a link on the day and tried very little that would have made the Boks think. 4/10

8 Wycliff Palu: Not as effective as last week. In fact he kept running into a green wall all afternoon and did not make as much ground as his coach would have hoped. 5/10

7 Phil Waugh (replaced in 47th min by George Smith): Not a factor at all in this game. He failed to secure the edge the Wallabies looked for on the ground and it was obvious the Wallabies missed George Smith at the breakdown. Not surprising he was replaced early in the second half. 3/10

6 Rocky Elsom: He looked tired and not nearly as dominant at the breakdown, where Boks had numbers all the time. 4/10

5 Hugh McMeniman: The only times you saw him was when there was a flare-up, none of which developed into anything exiting. Other than that he had no influence on the game. 4/10

4 James Horwill: Maybe the pace of the game was too quick for him, but he was nowhere to be spotted. 3/10

3 Matt Dunning (replaced after 32 mins by Al Baxter - back on for Benn Robinson in 59th min): He was anonymous. And in the scrums Tendai Mtawarira shoved his head up where the sun don't shine. He was shown up as a fake a few years back and re-invented himself as a tighthead prop, but nothing has changed. He is not a prop of international standards and might find it tough to get into some provincial and club teams around the world. -5/10

2 Tatafu Polota-Nau (replaced by Stephen Moore in 49th min): He was meant to shore up the Wallaby scrum, but failed miserably. Also had problems with his line-out throws. 2/10

1 Benn Robinson (replaced by Matt Dunning in 59th min): Not the try-scoring hero of last week. An early knock-on, otherwise anonymous. 2/10

Replacements (20 minutes or more to be rated):

16 Stephen Moore (on for Tatafu Polota-Nau in 49th min): Some good carries, but also struggled with his line-out throws. 4/10

17 Al Baxter (on for Dunning, 32 mins): You only saw him at scrum time and often because he arrived late. 0/10

18 Dean Mumm (on for Hugh McMeniman in the 67th min): Not long enough to be rated

19 George Smith (on for Waugh in 47th min): By the time he arrived the game was a lost cause and try as he might, he could not turn it around. 5/10

20 Brett Sheehan (on for Sam Cordingley in 53rd min): He didn't provide the spark that was needed and was also no more than a link. 4/10

21 Ryan Cross (on for Timana Tahu in 51st min): Made a difference with some strong carries and was the best Aussie back on display. 6/10

22 Drew Mitchell (on for Peter Hynes in 50th min): For a speedy back like Mitchell to have an effect he needs the ball, not way back in his own 22 with a green wall covering you. Tried gamely, with no effect. 5/10

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