Long after the injuries are forgotten, however, Wallabies fans will recall the dramatic period in the second half on Saturday when 13-man Australia repulsed wave after wave of red-shirted attackers on their own try line.
"There's a few sore bodies, it was a physical game but everyone's got a smile on their face," winger Adam Ashley-Cooper told reporters on Sunday.
"It was a very proud performance, it was a gutsy effort, particularly that 10-minute effort from the team when we were two men down.
"It was highly stressful, I won't lie. But we stuck to it, we held together when our backs were against the wall and we never gave up. That's a great trait of this Australian team."
It was Ashley-Cooper's man-and-ball tackle on Wales flyhalf Dan Biggar that brought an end to the Twickenham siege but defence coach Grey should also take great credit.
The former test centre was happy to pass it all back to the players, however.
"From one to 23, everyone who came on the field delivered and we were able to put them under pressure when they had the ball but also when we had the ball," he said.
"The effort it takes the guys to make those tackles, getting up off the ground and getting back into their defensive lines, that doesn't take a lot of talent, that just takes a lot of determination.
"That was evident out there and we can take a lot of confidence from that and continue to build on our performances throughout this competition."
The victory means that Australia not only avoided a knockout match against South Africa next Saturday, not to mention a potential semi-final date with the All Blacks, but also get an extra day to prepare for their quarter-final.
"An extra day's recovery is crucial," said Grey. "We play on Sunday and we're really going to need that extra day."
(Editing by Julien Pretot)
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