MIRRORING the Wallabies' many errors, there could be several forced and unforced changes made to the Australian side for Saturday's "last roll of the dice" Tri-Nations Test against South Africa in Perth.

Mathematically, the Wallabies remain in the hunt for the Tri-Nations Cup, despite having lost all three of their matches, and where there's life there's little hope of coach Robbie Deans radically overhauling the side.

But injuries could force his hand, with flanker Rocky Elsom (ankle), second-rower Nathan Sharpe (shoulder), inside centre Berrick Barnes (concussion) and fullback James O'Connor (corked leg) all casualties of Saturday's heart-breaking loss to the All Blacks at ANZ Stadium.

"The group won't change," said Deans, dismissing suggestions he might look outside the designated 29-man squad for the series. "But, obviously, the way we use the group might."

Number eight Richard Brown is bracing himself to pay the price for being given a second yellow card in as many matches, this time for a spear tackle on All Blacks prop Owen Franks. One more visit to the sin bin will also earn him an appearance before the SANZAR judiciary.

"There could be (selection repercussions) and if there are, I will just have to cop that on the chin," Brown said. "If I didn't get a yellow card, we may have won. I put a lot of blame on myself. But it was never my intention to put him on his head or hurt him."

In the context of a one-point loss, the three points he conceded to a Dan Carter penalty goal could hardly have been more costly, although he otherwise turned in an outstanding game. That alone might save him. If not, it might come down to whether Elsom is passed fit.

Of all the walking wounded, Elsom appeared of most concern as he boarded a plane for Western Australia yesterday, with his left leg encased in a cast designed to squeeze two separated bones above his ankle back together.

"It wasn't that bad," Elsom said of the pain during the match. "That's a pretty good sign."

Hopefully, his optimism isn't misplaced because his physicality and aggression in his first Test in 11 months added a new and welcome dimension to Australia's forward play. Those qualities surely will be needed again against the world No1-ranked Springboks at Subiaco Oval on Saturday night.

Besides, Elsom is the team's best jumper at No2, winning three early balls there to settle the Wallabies down against the All Blacks and while New Zealand didn't have anyone of Victor Matfield's calibre to pressure him, he would bring some much-needed composure to the lineout.

Composure, it must be said, was conspicuously missing from the Australian game generally in the desperate closing stages, with Elsom one of several Wallabies bemoaning the fact they didn't take advantage of not one, but two, turnovers right at the death. "It is not as though we didn't have a chance to close out the game," Elsom said. "We had a couple."

Centre Adam Ashley-Cooper would no doubt like to revisit his decision to ignore a three-on-two overlap, Matt Giteau was left regretting passing wide in the first place rather than dropping back for a field-goal shot, while prop Ben Alexander was ruing his fumble five metres short of the line, the last act of the match.

How the All Blacks were relieved when Alexander knocked-on.

"It was unfortunate for him but I was stoked," former Brisbane Bronco Brad Thorn said.

"I was basically a walking carcass - and so were they. It took beyond 80 minutes to win that game.

"Those Aussie boys, they're good men, they gave it everything they had, as did we, but it went our way."

Yet with the Wallabies having lost their past five Tri-Nations Tests after leading early and their past four Bledisloe games after leading at the break, there was almost a feeling of inevitability when replacement fullback Drew Mitchell kicked the ball 60m, over the dead-ball line, in the 73rd minute to hand the All Blacks critical field position.

Carter missed with his first attempted match-winner, a field-goal shot from Jonny Wilkinson's historic spot from the 2003 World Cup final, but not with his second - a clinically taken penalty goal after winger Lachlan Turner was trapped and isolated deep in his own territory.

http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au...015651,00.html