The world champions will now take on New Zealand in a semifinal in Sydney next Saturday after the All Blacks put out South Africa in the earlier quarterfinal in Melbourne.
Austrlia 33 Scotland 16
New Zealand 29 South Africa 9
The Scots held the defending champions in the first half to go the break level at 9-9 but Australia ran away with the match in the second term, scoring three tries to one to eventually run out comfortable winners.
The Wallabies played well below their best, dropping far too many passes and struggling to win their own lineout ball, but were superb in defence and never looked like conceding a try until the dying seconds.
They looked dangerous in attack, splitting the Scots’ defence on a number of occasions, but failed to capitalise on most of their opportunities until the second half.
Outside centre Stirling Mortlock, captain George Gregan and number eight David Lyons all scored tries in a devastating 18-minute burst that put the result beyond doubt while Elton Flatley landed three conversions and four penalties.
The Scots’ lone try came from replacement hooker Rob Russell in the final play of the match. Makeshift flyhalf Chris Paterson booted two penalties, a drop goal and a conversion.
The Scots, given no real hope of winning the match after scraping into the quarter-finals with a last-gasp win over Fiji, held on grimly in the first half against a wave of Australian attacks to remain on level terms.
Left wing Lote Tuqiri twice broke through the Scottish defence and fullback Mat Rogers also burst the line only to see the ball coughed up in the next phase as the Wallabies squandered their chances.
The Scots succeeded in disrupting the Australian lineout, stealing two balls off the throw and forcing the Wallabies into errors.
Flatley put the Australians ahead three separate times in the first half with penalties but on each occassion the Scots equalised through Paterson, who was left dazed after being hit in the head by the ball during the warm-up.
He showed no ill-effects of the knock as he calmly slotted over two penalties then a 48-metre drop goal just before the break to level the scores at 9-9 after a dour half.
Australia replaced George Smith with Matt Cockbain during the interval to give them an extra lineout jumper and the change had an immediate effect as the Wallabies quicky seized control of the match.
Mortlock, who was called into the side at the expense of Matthew Burke to provide extra thrust out wide, justified his selection when he beat two defenders in a 60-metre sprint to the line to score the opening try.
Flatley converted from in front before adding a penalty in the 52nd minute to put his side 10 points. Then scrumhalf Gregan dived on a loose ball in goal to score in the 59th minute after the impressive openside flanker Phil Waugh and Tuqiri had each broken through.
Lyons, who had also had a strong match, barged his way over in the 59th minute after picking up from the back of the scrum to give Australia a 33-9 lead.
With the result beyond doubt, Australia coach Eddie Jones introduced all seven substitutes to the fray.
The Wallabies failed to add to their total but held their line intact until Russell forced his way over in the last minute.
New Zealand destroyed South Africa 29-9 with a display of pure All Black magic to power into the semifinals.
Mixing forward power with sublime skill, the All Blacks scored tries through centre Leon MacDonald, hooker Keven Mealamu and wing Joe Rokocoko to win a surprisingly one-sided quarterfinal at the Docklands Stadium.
A mesmerising display from flyhalf Carlos Spencer was one of the many highlights for New Zealand — but the foundation of New Zealand’s victory over their bitter historical rivals was a phenomenal effort by the All Black pack.
The New Zealand forwards took control of the game early on to dominate at set-piece and in the loose, with No.8 Jerry Collins and locks Ali Williams and Chris Jack outstanding.
The margin of victory - New Zealand’s first over South Africa at the World Cup - would have been greater had the All Blacks backs not squandered a series of golden try-scoring opportunities in the first half.
After squandering an early try-scoring opportunity when scrum-half Justin Marshall failed to release Rokocoko with the line begging, New Zealand took the lead on 13 minutes with a MacDonald penalty.
South Africa responded immediately. From the kick-off Mealamu was penalised for not releasing on the floor and flyhalf Derick Hougaard nervelessly slotted the kick to make it 3-3.
But parity was fleeting as the try New Zealand had been threatening finally materialised only moments later following a magical break from Spencer.
The All Blacks playmaker jinked past onrushing flanker Danie Rossouw and raced 40 metres clear before offloading inside to MacDonald in support who scored under the posts.
MacDonald converted to make it 10-3 but New Zealand continued to be profligate with opportunities to extend their lead.
Spencer missed two close-range drop goal attempts and a further try was spurned when Aaron Mauger broke only to ignore his support and allow the attack to break down.
A long-range MacDonald penalty gave New Zealand a 10-point cushion at 13-3 but Hougaard stroked over his second penalty on half-time to keep South Africa in touch at the break.
South Africa needed an early score in the second half but saw a fine break from Jorrie Muller come to nothing when the centre failed to pass to Joost van der Westhuizen outside.
Mauger made it 16-6 with an opportunistic drop goal early in the second-half after a loping break from second row Williams but Hougaard’s third penalty reduced the deficit.
New Zealand always looked capable of adding to their tally, and Spencer, Marshall and fullback Mils Muliaina all went close only to be denied by desperate Springbok defence.
A second try always looked on the cards though and it eventually came going into the final quarter when Mealamu barrelled through a gap near the fringes to race over for a memorable try.
MacDonald missed the conversion but another penalty made it 24-9 and there was only going to be one winner, Rokocoko’s late score - from a cheeky through-the-legs pass by Spencer - completing an emphatic win.—Reuters/AFP