Australia held on with 11 men to beat a second-string South African team 42-38 at Perth Stadium on Sunday. The Wallabies extended their unbeaten run to five games since new coach Les Kiss took over. The match was marked by a dramatic finish, with several Australian players receiving yellow cards in the last 10 minutes. Despite this, the home team managed to cling to their lead and secure the win.
The Australian team had looked dominant earlier in the match, with centre Len Ikitau scoring a double and tries from flyhalf Ben Donaldson, number eight Harry Wilson, and winger Max Jorgensen contributing to their 42-17 lead after 65 minutes. Scrumhalf Ryan Lonergan added 17 points from the boot. However, the last 10 minutes of the match saw the Springboks mount a fierce comeback, with scores from hooker Johan Grobbelaar, winger Edwill van der Merwe, scrumhalf Morne van den Berg, prop Ox Nche, and a penalty try.
The Springboks had made 13 changes to their lineup from the team that completed the gruelling 3-1 series victory over New Zealand earlier this month. However, coach Rassie Erasmus had stacked his bench with first-choice players as an insurance policy. This strategy almost paid off in the frantic last 10 minutes, but ultimately, the visitors were unable to overcome the deficit.
The match got off to a fast start, with Handre Pollard and Lonergan exchanging early penalties. The visitors scored the first try through Grobbelaar, who rolled over the line on the back of a rolling maul. Australia responded with two tries from Ikitau in three minutes, the first from close range and the second after winger Joseph Suaalii had disrupted the restart.
The Springboks responded almost immediately to lock up the scores again at 17-17. Flyhalf Pollard's long pass exposed a hole in the Australian backline defence, and Van der Merwe showed his pace to finish the move. However, Australia regained the lead shortly before halftime through a slanted crosskick from fullback Tom Wright, which gave Jorgensen some space to run.
The Australian team's discipline was tested in the final 10 minutes, with Wilson, Lonergan, Suaalii, and Hunter Paisami all receiving yellow cards. Despite this, the Wallabies managed to hold off the Springboks' late rally and secure the win. The result means Australia will move on to back-to-back tests against the All Blacks in October without a loss in six games.
The Springboks' captain, Andre Esterhuizen, attributed the loss to his team's errors and discipline. He noted that Australia capitalised on all their mistakes, particularly in the first half. In contrast, Australian skipper Harry Wilson expressed his pride in the team's performance, saying they had implemented their game plan exactly as they had wanted.
Key points
- Australia extended their unbeaten run to five games under new coach Les Kiss.
- The Springboks made 13 changes to their lineup from the team that beat New Zealand earlier this month.
- The match featured a dramatic finish, with several Australian players receiving yellow cards in the last 10 minutes.
