Adnaan Mohamed - Sport24's man on tour with the Boks

Brisbane - Springbok vice-captain Victor Matfield believes the Springboks have the destiny of the Tri-Nations in their own hands.

Matfield was commenting after South Africa lost 21-6 against Australia at the Suncorp stadium in Brisbane on Saturday.

“It is going to be a big week for us,” he said.

“Everything is now in our hands. All we have to do is go out there next week against the All Blacks and perform to the best of our ability.

"We only need one point whereas they must win their remaining two matches, one at least with a bonus point.”

According to Matfield they will be taking the day off on Sunday, before starting to focus their attention on next weekend’s Test against the All Blacks in Hamilton.

“We will regroup on Monday and focus on what needs to be done. We are going to New Zealand to win the game and not merely to prevent them (the All Blacks) from getting a bonus point,” he explained.

According to Matfield the conditions in Brisbane were very humid, comparing them to playing in Durban.

“It fatigues you a bit more than usual, but the Wallabies had to endure the same conditions so we cannot use it as an excuse.

He believes the Wallabies beat them at their own game and they were spot on with their tactical kicking.

“They turned us and caught us at the back quite often. They gained a number of turnovers and executed that plan better than we did.

In the second half we made the mistake of trying to play too much rugby in our own half. We were behind and tried to get back into the game. They took advantage of the situation and that is how they scored their last try.

“We have always said that in the Tri-Nations any team can beat any other on any day. There is only a small difference between the teams. The Aussies won all the small battles and that is why they got the victory.”

“Things didn’t go our way on Saturday, but we are determined to set the record straight against New Zealand next week. All we have to do is to prepare well and play to the best of our ability,” he added.

The Boks travelled to Surfers Paradise on the Gold Coast on Sunday. They will stay there until they leave for Hamilton on Thursday.