Day 16: 1am at the Airport

Pim Verbeek manages a half-smile, at the airport after his last game in charge of Australia. He knows it was the one that got away, and while he's done a good job over a couple of years, he'll be remembered for his strange choices in the first game.

Lucas Neill, Mark Bresciano and David Carney file through. Police prevent us getting too close.

Timmy is the only one smiling.

As we wait at the airport for flights back to Cape Town, the Australian team comes through to catch a charter flight to their home base in Joburg. They look surprisingly glum, miserable even. Many know it is their last World Cup, for some their last game for Australia, and we had the team to progress if not for such a poor first game. The only person smiling is Tim Cahill, who just seems to have that type of personality.

Pim Verbeek comes through last and looks like he trod in some giraffe poo outside the terminal. It's his final game in charge. The Aussies chant, "We love you Pimmy, we do", which may be more inspired by beer that costs only $2 a bottle that a genuine 'Guus-like' affection. But he perks up a little, manages a grimace-come-grin, and applauds the supporters. Goodbye, Pim.

We arrive back at our hotel after 5am. I'm exhausted, carrying a cold and a bad cough, no doubt caught from one of the many tour members who is sick. Some could not travel to Nelspruit. The combination of cold and wet followed by hot weather, then confined to long trips in planes and buses, cooled and then overheated, is quite a drain. I didn't realise we'd have four days of over 20 hours travel within two weeks, and my body is feeling it.

But that's the group stage over, so need to recover quickly and keep playing the game.