Australia coach Robbie Deans preferred to look ahead to the Wallabies' all-important Tri-Nations decider against New Zealand rather than reflect on the record 8-53 defeat to the Springboks in Johannesburg on Saturday.

Australia were a shadow of the side that earned their first Test win for eight years on SA soil a week earlier, courtesy of a 27-15 win over the Boks in Durban.

At the same time, the Springboks finally managed to get their much-maligned expansive gameplan off the ground, running in eight fantastic tries to leave the Aussies reeling.

"It was a great win, a good performance by the Springboks," Deans said after the match.

"They got in the game and built some momentum, while we dropped off. A Test is a Test. I'm not concerned with the numbers, but it hurts if you lose.

"We will rather focus on what is a great opportunity for us," he said in reference of the crucial winner-takes-all clash with New Zealand on September 13.

"I guess what's evident is how much it took us to lift the Mandela silverware so we've achieved something and we've got the opportunity to go on and achieve more so we'll hang on to that," said Deans.

The coach stressed the importance of their upcoming match against New Zealand in Brisbane, in which the Tri-Nations title is up for grabs.

"We've got the opportunity now to regroup and get back and focus on what is a fantastic opportunity in Brisbane," he said.

Deans revealed some sympathy for coach Peter de Villiers, who has endured some severe pressure after the Springboks suffered three losses on the trot in this year's Tri-Nations.

The Aussie coach said that the nature of the competition meant that results were very unpredictable, and that the massive expectations from the public meant that the coaches were never too far away from the inevitable pressure.

"The Springboks are world champions. The reality of this industry is that someone has to be the bottom side in the Tri-Nations but that doesn't mean they're a bad side," said Deans.

"We've already seen in this tournament how little it takes to go from being a victor and enjoying the experience to a loser and not enjoying the experience."

365