/ 31 October 1999

JOOST CRUSHED BY DEFEAT

CAPTAIN Joost van der Westhuizen said he was “very, very disappointed” by the Springboks’ 27-21 defeat by Australia in a World Cup semifinal on Saturday. “But the guys showed lots of character and a lot of heart. There’s no one to blame. I never believed we were out of it, anything can happen. It’s typical of the South African attitude,” scrumhalf van der Westhuizen said. “We are always humble in victory and now we have to be humble in defeat.” Springbok coach Nick Mallett said: “Both teams were very similar. It was a game of minute missed opportunities. “It was a fantastic game of rugby but I’m sorry we just couldn’t make it. “It’s really good for the game. The excitement must have been unbelievable. I can’t imagine what it was like in South Africa when Jannie (de Beer) put that last minute penalty over.”