Good times are just around the corner for the new-look Wallabies despite another dose of Highveld heartbreak, according to Kurtley Beale.
Australia drew 27-27 with South Africa in Bloemfontein early on Sunday morning (AEST), the second Rugby Championship stalemate between the two sides in less than a month.
It came right down to the wire but neither team was good enough to find the winning points, with Springboks five-eighth Elton Jantjies spraying a late penalty shot wide that could have won it for the hosts.
The Wallabies looked scintillating in attack at times but also squandered a couple of golden chances to extend the lead they battled to maintain the second half.
While the pain of another missed opportunity was hard to take, Beale - who only returned to the Test ranks last month after missing last year with a knee injury - said it was clear they were on the right track.
"I've only just been back but there's certainly a very good picture for us," he said.
"Our structures are there for us to play expansive rugby - in forwards and in backs.
"I feel like we're progressing, slowly but surely.
"I thought when the chances came, we took them, but we just couldn't finish off and they're work-ons we need to keep working on throughout the series and for the next few years, really.
"You can kind of see that their inexperience is coming out.
"And I think just the experience in big games like this will definitely help our young boys and collectively as a group to get better in those pressure moments so when we do get faced with them later on down the track, we'll hopefully get that outcome that we want."
Beale admitted the Wallabies were initially "shocked" by South Africa's decision to keep the ball in hand for a frenetic opening period in what coach Allister Coetzee later confirmed was a ploy to run the visitors off their feet at altitude.
But their fitness held up and so did their defence, repelling all the Springboks' early attacks.
"I guess we had to make more tackles and it took a lot out of us," Beale said.
"We always believed in our defensive structures and I felt we put a lot of pressure on them to force errors and we did that.
"I thought we responded really well and adapted to the way they wanted to play the game."
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