Elsom was rubbed out for one game by the SANZAR judiciary which finally found him guilty yesterday of dangerous play during the second half of Australia's drought-breaking 27-15 win against the Springboks in Durban on Saturday night.

The flanker had been cited after pulling down Springboks jumper Victor Matfield in a lineout.

Elsom attended a two-hour hearing on Monday, only for citing commissioner Nick Davidson QC to postpone a decision until yesterday.

The minor nature of Elsom's offence and the disruption caused by the length of time it took for the verdict have frustrated the Wallabies.

Asked if he was surprised by the result, coach Robbie Deans said, ''I'm not surprised by anything really in the game these days. You enter, you do your best and you hope for the best and you have to live I guess with what you're delivered.''

Deans said it was too early to comment on whether the Wallabies would appeal.

Australia's team at Ellis Park will now take on the look of the near future without injured lock Dan Vickerman (shoulder) and flanker Elsom, who will both bow out of Test rugby when they head to Europe at season's end.

Reinforcement Nathan Sharpe has joined his teammates at their base north of Durban.

But he could find himself down the pecking order below rising stars Dean Mumm and Hugh McMeniman.

Sharpe, Mumm and McMeniman will vie for the blindside flanker position and one of the lock spots, with the man missing out likely to sit on the bench.

McMeniman has recovered from a bout of food poisoning which forced him out of last Saturday's match and laid him low for three days.

Australia has only once won successive Tests in South Africa in 1963 when the Wallabies beat the Boks 9-5 in Cape Town and 11-9 in Johannesburg two weeks later.

In other judiciary news, South African prop C.J. van der Linde was yesterday suspended for four weeks after being found guilty of dangerous play at a ruck last Saturday.

Van der Linde was cited for striking Wallaby scrumhalf Sam Cordingley with his head in the eighth minute of the match. AAP

SATURDAY

Tri Nations: South Africa v Australia at Ellis Park in Johannesburg, 11pm. TV Time: Live on Fox Sports1.