Australian rugby boss John O'Neill has hailed a big step forward for the young Wallabies side a year out from the Rugby World Cup.

It was touch and go, but for once a close finish went the Wallabies' way and O'Neill saw plenty of good coming from Saturday's stunning 41-39 win over the Springboks in Bloemfontein - their first at altitude in South Africa since 1963.

"We don't want to get ahead of ourselves but you need a bit of luck in this game, it is a game of fine margins and the luck went our way and we were good enough to nail it," O'Neill said.

"This is not excessive optimism, I would hope we can go on from here.

"When you think about what I call the class of 2007 - the Quade Coopers, the Kurtley Beales, the James O'Connors - and throw them in with Matt Giteau, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Drew Mitchell, it's a pretty extraordinary array of talent."

O'Neill is confident the landmark victory, achieved by an injury-depleted Wallabies outfit, shows coach Robbie Deans' four-year plan for New Zealand 2011 is beginning to bear fruit.

"We've been working very hard, it's not a bed of roses and in some cases we've made progress and then we've gone backwards," O'Neill said.

"They knew they should have won last week (a 44-31 loss in Pretoria), they knew they were good enough and the hurt and the despondency in the dressing room was profound.

"They came back from that and pulled out a truly magnificent victory, and I think that will do these young blokes a world of good in terms of character, self-belief, composure, the things that end up making great teams.

"(We've got) the makings of a very good team, so we're not ahead of ourselves.

"We're still a work in progress but, gee, it beats the alternative."

The evidence of progress was there too.

Australia regained the Nelson Mandela Challenge Plate and climbed to second, ahead of the Springboks, on the IRB world rankings.

"I guess that's the ultimate measure and we've had to work hard for that and this group knows that more than any," Deans said.

"It doesn't get given to you lightly and to pick up the Mandela Plate against South Africa is an achievement.

"We respect South African rugby enormously, they are a great side so that landmark is significant for us without a doubt."

Veteran forward Nathan Sharpe said finally having the high veld victory drought broken was a major milestone.

"This is my last Test at altitude, I've only got a year maximum left in a Wallabies jersey and I've been wanting to do this since my first one so it's very special," he said.

"I'll reflect and be proud of this special night when I finish but I'm just glad that they young guys in this team have done it and they know what it takes, so going forward it's something that Australians know we can do."

Brought to you by AAP © 2024 AAP