The Wallabies achieved an upset victory over the world champion Springboks on Sunday at Optus Stadium in Perth, winning 47-42 in a Test match that saw the home team nearly collapse under intense pressure in the final moments.
Australia’s victory came after a barely believable 12 minutes at the end of the game with four players off the field serving yellow cards. Harry Wilson, Ryan Lonergan, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii, and Hunter Paisami were all sin-binned, leaving the Wallabies with 11 players on the field with four minutes remaining and a seemingly impossible defensive task against the Springboks’ replacement forwards.
Until Wilson’s yellow card, the Wallabies had enjoyed a 25-point lead after dominating play with a ferocious physical performance. The lead evaporated quickly. Lonergan and Suaalii’s sin-bins led to two South Africa tries. When Paisami was carded for a high tackle with five minutes left, Springbok Ox Nche scored a converted try to pull the score back to 42-38, but the Wallabies held firm through the final moments.
The Wallabies’ attack was built around the backline, with tries from captain Wilson, Len Ikitau (2), Ben Donaldson, and Max Jorgensen. Coach Les Kiss made a sizeable gamble by putting six forwards and two backs on the bench with no noted replacement for five-eighth Donaldson. Suaalii played his first Test on the wing to help counteract the Springboks’ aerial threat.
South Africa arrived in Perth from Baltimore after a gruelling four-Test series against New Zealand, which they won three to one. According to the match report, coach Rassie Erasmus rotated heavily with 13 changes from the team’s last Test, but was still able to call on 11 World Cup winners. The Springboks had 540 Test caps available to them on the bench.
Despite South Africa’s depth and physicality, the Wallabies refused to buckle. Scrum half Lonergan, who debuted only a year ago against New Zealand, and fullback Tom Wright, recovering from an ACL injury suffered against South Africa in Cape Town last year, performed well. Coach Joe Schmidt’s appointment has struggled to create depth, but according to the report, “after a victory against South Africa, it has arrived.”
The match featured controversial refereeing moments, including televised consultations between the referee Andrea Piardi and the television match official on a mobile phone. A Springbok try was initially awarded then ruled out, and a penalty try was awarded to South Africa after Lonergan was carded for denying a certain try.
Key facts
- Wallabies defeated world champion Springboks 47-42 at Optus Stadium in Perth
- Australia held on despite having four players in the sin bin (yellow cards) in the final 12 minutes with only 11 players on the field
- Wallabies had a 25-point lead before South Africa mounted a dramatic comeback
- South Africa arrived fresh from a 3-1 Test series victory over New Zealand
- Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus made 13 changes and had 11 World Cup winners available despite heavy rotation