South Africa 33-31 Australia, Johannesburg
Wallabies almost walked
August 19, 2002

Wallaby skipper George Gregan has revealed that he came close to leading his team off the field after they were pelted with missiles during their Tri Nations defeat against South Africa at Ellis Park.

The Wallabies were bombarded with bottles following a try by hooker Brendan Cannon minutes from time that appeared to have capped a remarkable comeback from the Wallabies.

But the Springboks produced a late late surge to steal victory with a try and conversion from fullback Werner Greef.

The Herald Sun reports that after the game a South African journalist asked Gregan for his reaction to fruit being thrown, "I've never seen an orange with the label Castle Lager on it, made of glass. That's what was thrown.

"They were bottles, three or four of them, half-filled with alcohol. No one got hit, thankfully."

"But we moved to halfway and it wasn't a factor," Gregan said. "If it had continued on it would have been an issue, but it stopped."

Wallaby coach Eddie Jones added, "It's absolutely disgraceful. Ellis Park have to have a look at themselves that they allow bottled beer into the ground.

"Obviously the crowd can't behave themselves. It's ridiculous. Bottled beer should be banned from the ground, it's quite simple.

"We made a complaint in 2001 (when the ACT Brumbies were subjected to a similar incident). What's happened?"

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