Publications
Partners
Wellington - The exit of the defending World Cup champions would be far less upsetting had he not been the man who conceded the penalty that sealed the deal for Australia, Springbok lock Danie Rossouw said after the quarter-final clash on Sunday.
Click to BUY the new FIFA 12 game
WIN a pair of the new adidas rugby boots
"For me personally it is devastating," Rossouw said after South Africa lost 11-9 against the Wallabies in Wellington.
The 72nd minute penalty, converted by Wallaby wing James O'Connor, effectively ended all hopes the Springboks had of becoming the first nation to win back-to-back World Cup titles.
Had they progressed all the way, they would also have become the first nation to win the tournament for a third time.
Rossouw disagreed with the call made by referee Bryce Lawrence which resulted in the deciding points of the match.
"He said I sacked the player, but as far as I know you are allowed to sack the player," Rossouw said.
"He gave a penalty, so I don't know. I didn't play him in the air."
The towering lock said the team's elimination was devastating after all the work that had gone into their preparation for the tournament.
"It is a sad day for me," he said.
"There are a lot of guys here that I made friends with, that I wasn't already friends with, and we became a brotherhood here.
"That is the saddest thing for me - we became big mates and now it is all over."
Rossouw will soon join scrumhalf Fourie du Preez at Japanese club Suntory, but he insisted his World Cup dream was not yet over.
"I will be keeping in good shape, so if they call me up I will play," he said.
The utility forward struggled to pinpoint the reason for their loss to the Wallabies.
"We had a great performance. We played most of the rugby and we had a brilliant game.
"One or two calls didn't go our way ... I don't know, we should have made more of our opportunities."
