WILL GENIA was in pain and on crutches, but that wasn't going to stop him from hobbling on to the rostrum to accept and then show off the Mandela Plate last night.

Genia, who is expected to be sidelined for a lengthy period after suffering a serious knee injury late in the second half, found a pair of crutches quickly enough to be part of the official post-match ceremony. The Wallabies' win enables them to hold on to the Mandela Plate for another season.

In need of some support ... Wallabies' captain Will Genia. Credit:Reuters

Genia praised his teammates who, after the despair of a dismal Bledisloe Cup campaign, overcame an early deficit and played with vigour in the final stages to thwart the Springboks.

''Really, you have to credit the whole group,'' Genia said. ''We have a lot of pride and were desperate to win this match. We wanted to show what we can do, and in the second half we were able to play the type of football that we wanted to play.''