Gregan (left) and Larkham acknowledge the Sydney crowd

The Wallabies looked in danger of slipping to an embarrassing defeat to a severely understrength Springboks side as they trailed 17-0 in the first half.

But in their final Tests on home soil, Gregan and Larkham turned the tide.

"They're probably two of the greatest players that have played in Australia," Connolly said after the 25-17 win.

The Springboks ran riot in the opening stages in Sydney, scoring two tries in the first seven minutes, the second a spectacular 60m interception by veteran winger Breyton Paulse, to open a commanding lead 14-0.

A penalty to fly-half Derick Hougaard saw the lead extended to 17-0 midway through the first half, but the experienced Wallabies, led by Larkham in his 100th Test match, dominated possession thereafter and ran in three tries.

We were always confident of working our way back into it but we just started so slowly John Connolly

Connolly was satisfied with his team's fightback but said the night belonged to his veteran halves.

"This game for us tonight was very much about Stephen and George. The players were very conscious of recognising what they've done for Australia," he said.

The coach added that he was always confident that his side would recover from their awful start against the Springboks.

"We made it easy for them, gifting them a try and then the intercept," he said.

"Then Hougaard, every time he got the ball, turned us around so we had to play our way into the game.