The Wallabies head to Cape Town this morning desperate to end a long run of infuriatingly tight Tri Nations losses to the Springboks at Newlands.

Although the Wallabies, who play the Springboks on August 8, have not won at Newlands since 1992, it is far from their bogy ground, as the players enjoy its buoyant atmosphere, fine surface and the fact it’s at sea level.

The past three losses in Cape Town have been exasperating, as each have involved just a few points – 10-9 in 1999, 26-22 four years later, and 22-19 in 2007.

The most demoralising was two years ago when, until replacement winger Francois Steyn booted two exceptional field goals in the 73rd and 77th minute, a Wallabies victory was all but assured. The first Steyn kick levelled the scores and the second gave South Africa their winning margin.

The Wallabies were devastated by that loss, after tackling themselves to a standstill and relying on little more than 30 per cent of possession to control the game for long periods.

The talking point that night was Australia’s exceptional defence, which restricted the Springboks to just one first-half try and affected the rhythm of their fast, efficient back line for long periods of the match. But it wasn’t enough.

Ten members of the 2007 Wallabies squad are returning, and are mindful that this time around they will face an even better Springbok line-up, buoyed by their recent series success over the British and Irish Lions and by their victory over the All Blacks in Bloemfontein last weekend.

But the Wallabies believe they can gain faith from being so close two years ago, while also showing last year that they can win on South African soil when they defeated the Springboks in Durban. What is not allowed to be brought up though is that a week after their Durban triumph – their first win in South Africa for eight years – they fell apart in Johannesburg when thrashed 53-8.

At least this time around, it is just a one-week South African trip and they don’t have to prepare for the high veldt and all the problems that entails.

Two years ago, skipper Stirling Mortlock was praising his players for their courageous effort at Newlands. Now he is pushing the line that it’s up to all of them to finish off the job.

‘‘We look at our trips to Africa, and we feel as if we are getting close. It reflects where this team is at, and our mindset,’’ Mortlock said yesterday. ‘‘But it is time for us to take a step forward, which means the main focus for the group is to get ourselves in the best opportunity to do that, and prepare as well as we can in Africa.’’

Victory in Durban last August also helps. ‘‘The psychology of the team is helped by notching up wins. Having said that, we’re more about trying to improve and looking at ways to improve. We feel as though we are making those improvements,’’ he said.

Several Wallabies also stressed yesterday that Newlands is the type of ground where they should feel at home. Said Mortlock: ‘‘It is a great venue to play at. Two years ago we were very close, but it would be nice to go over there and do the job.’’

Waratahs skipper Phil Waugh, who played his first Super rugby game at Newlands in 2000, was similarly eager to return to Cape Town.

‘‘This is one of the best Springbok packs we have confronted, but the last time we were at Newlands prompted one of our better performances,’’ Waugh said.

‘‘We didn’t come away with a win, but we performed very well particularly in the forwards. So we need to replicate that performance in the forwards and turn the result around.

‘‘We’ve been close there a number of times and it certainly is one of the great venues to play at. It is a challenging venue, but we have confidence that if we play well we will get the win. Nonetheless it has been a long time between drinks.’’

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