Australia: Dig deep to beat Boks
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Australia bagged their first win in the Rugby Championship after seeing off South Africa 26-19 at Perth's Patersons Stadium on Saturday.
Both sides desperately needed a win to have any chance of catching the All Blacks in the race for the trophy, and were under pressure to deliver.
With the scores locked at 19-19, the Wallabies showed more composure and celebrated a Ben Alexander try in the 70th minute that ultimately secured a much-needed victory for the hosts.
As for the Springboks, who led 13-6 at half-time, it's back to the drawing board as they face an even tougher assignment against the All Blacks next weekend.
It was Australia's fifth straight win over the South Africans and moves the Wallabies off the bottom of the Rugby Championship standings and above newcomers Argentina. South Africa didn't leave Perth empty-handed though after securing a losing bonus point.
Victory for the home side may have come at a cost, however, as they suffered extensive injuries - most notably to that of captain Will Genia who was forced from the field in some distress.
The visitors started the match with a roar and hiss, putting several eight-plus phases together before pivot Morne Steyn made up for an early missed drop-goal attempt with a well-struck penalty to open the scoring in the third minute.
Berrick Barnes leveled proceedings with a three-pointer of his own, but the Boks hit back with a try after flyer Bryan Habana crashed over from close range and South Africa were well on top at 13-3 following Steyn's converson and a 55m penalty shot from his namesake Frans.
Barnes closed the gap slightly with his second successful penalty attempt, and the Boks did well to keep Australia scoreless for 10 minutes when prop Beast Mtawarira was sin-binned for foul play.
The Wallabies were a different kettle of fish after the break and continued to bank three-pointers whenever they ventured into South Africa's half. The alarm bells started ringing in the Springbok camp ain the 56th minute after Wallabies super-sub Scott Higginbotham burst through for a try just two minutes after coming onto the field.
Barnes slotted over the conversion to give his team the lead for the first time in the match (16-13).
Long-range penalty specialist Frans Steyn launched another penalty kick from near the halfway line to put South Africa level (16-16), before Barnes' reliable boot once again put Australia in front.
Morne Steyn gave Bok supporters a glimmer of hope after tying the scores yet again (19-19) in the 60th minute. But South Africa had no answer for Alexander, who made a 15m charge down the blindside to touch down in the left-hand corner - confirmed by the TMO.
Barnes converted from the sideline, It was to the be the last score of the game, a late surge for an equalising try by the Springboks ending with a penalty to Australia in the dying seconds.
Man of the match: Lock Sitaleki Timani was named the official man of the match, but we felt the unerring accuracy of Berrick Barnes - who was six-from-six with the boot - takes the cake.
Moment of the match: Ben Alexander's inspirational late try not only lifted Australia to a crucial victory, but also easeed pressure on coach Robbie Deans.
Villain of the match: The Boks can thank their lucky stars they didn't concede a single point after Beast Mtawarira's yellow card after he ran into Kurtley Beale off the ball.
The scorers:
For Australia:
Tries: Higginbotham, Alexander
Cons: Barnes 2
Pens: Barnes 4
For South Africa:
Try: Habana
Con: M Steyn
Pens: M Steyn 2, F Steyn 2
Australia: 15 Kurtley Beale, 14 Dominic Shipperley, 13 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 12 Berrick Barnes, 11 Digby Ioane, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Will Genia (c), 8 Radike Samo, 7 Michael Hooper, 6 Dave Dennis, 5 Nathan Sharpe, 4 Sitaleki Timani, 3 Ben Alexander, 2 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1 Benn Robinson.
Replacements: 16 Saia Fainga'a, 17 James Slipper, 18 Scott Higginbotham, 19 Liam Gill, 20 Nick Phipps, 21 Mike Harris, 22 Anthony Fainga'a.
South Africa: 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Bryan Habana, 13 Jean de Villiers (c), 12 Frans Steyn, 11 Francois Hougaard 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Willem Alberts, 6 Marcell Coetzee, 5 Juandre Kruger, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Adriaan Strauss, 1 Beast Mtawarira.
Replacements: 16 Tiaan Liebenberg, 17 Pat Cilliers, 18 Flip van der Merwe, 19 Francois Louw, 20 Johan Goosen, 21 Pat Lambie, 22 Lwazi Mvovo.
Referee: Nigel Owens (Wales)
Comments
philipjfry says...
I watched the game again this morning and it's noticeable how flat Cooper passed the ball during the match (please note I did not say forward, god-forbid). Very effective, very rugby league; HM could do worse than employing a rugby league back-line coach from the NRL.
Posted 13:20 09th September 2012
Trader2 says...
Trinats - full of it again, "PR wouldn't print my post" yeah right.
Posted 13:09 09th September 2012
Wallaroo says...
@Trinats Mate, have a word with Cooper to ensure he always plays like he did last night - he was ingenious and executed with precision. On the subject of Deans I disagree he got it right last night, patience was always the key. What concerns me though with him is our record and play against NZ, it seems uncanny.
@rugby_lord having watched most of the Boks players during the S15 and in previous years their current style of play can only have been coached, it is definitely not natural for a lot of them. In addition to coaching the Boks also have the wrong captain JdV although a good player seems very defensive not only in his play but also with respect to the way he captains. What I admired about John Smith, like John Els, he was a lot more in tune with the tempo of the game and good at reading the opponents emotional state and mental position. I may be wrong but from what I've seen so far; HM seems to be extremely one dimensional in his coaching and more importantly seems to lack emotional intelligence which is by far and away the most important fundamental ingredient of any great leader and coach.
Posted 12:41 09th September 2012
georgesmith says...
The 'Beast' cost Springboks. I didn't think it was intentional. Game between 2 mediocre teams. Now its certain. Springboks will finish last.
Posted 12:15 09th September 2012
Craig says...
Agree with melkdave - Aust defended well, and played good territory in the second half. Morne Steyn's kicking from hand was brilliant, as was the fullback, but it really did seem like that was all they had. I actually think Morne had a good game, at least in terms of executing those tactics. But those tactics, as everyone else here is saying, are not enough any more. Teams are better conditioned, better coached, bigger, stronger, fitter, they can run these tactics off the paddock.
So Morne has to go. I liked goosen, the little I saw of him, but I'd still have Lambie in, and for god's sake get one of the centres attacking. Neither of them run straight. THere were several times the Boks had backline space and instead of straightening the defence before drawing and passing (see Conrad Smith in ABs v Arg) they tracked across field, running themselves out of their space. Dumb. Club rugby coaches grind that out of you. God I remember getting that hammered into us at high school. Why don't the Boks run straight?
I actually thought the Boks looked like they had the better collection of rugby players, but probably deserved to lose. They had a bit of spark when the replacements came on, but otherwise, wow, SA need to invest in their coaching programmes. Crazy coaching.
Ref was good, fair, in my opinion. Had a good game the previous week too. And good to see NH refs down here - it will help us in 3 years time!
Nathan Sharpe. I've not bagged him on here, and anyone with such longevity deserves respect. But I thought his rugby was average last night, his temprement is awful, and his workrate poor. He carries well, and is visible because of his head gear. But I thought he was the worst lock on the field last night - and I have nothing against the guy. Just my observation.
Posted 11:24 09th September 2012
meneer says...
I am crying into my Castle & choking on my biltong, well done Wallabies a fantastic performance of commitment & skill. The conversion by Barnes moments before he has to hobble off the field has to sum up your performance, gutsy and well executed. Unfortunately the Boks are determined to waste our huge pool of talent with a poor and boring game plan.
Posted 08:45 09th September 2012
carpelone says...
And our scrum was awful. Far from being a strength. Etzebeth, useless testosterone displays.
Oz deserved this, at least they played with some passion.
As far as Owens is concerned, there were couple of blows which went Oz's way (the way Oz turned over possession when Habana got injured is mysterious), but we have to blame only ourselves to have blown this away.
Hope that all the idiots who picked my comments out of context are happy now.
Posted 07:39 09th September 2012
cuw3100 says...
seriously, the OZ need to look in the glass ball and understand if the captaincy is a poisoned chalice. Horwill, Pocock, Genia - all out! they just cant afford to lose these world class players; IMHO replacements are not that good (unlike the ABs).
only saw the 2nd half and thought Hooper, AAC, Scott H, Dom S, played well.
SA seemed to come to life when Lambie came on (was it at 70 min?) and made some taxi- like runs :)
hats off to Sharpe for that rolling maul collapse at 78 min! he took a calculated risk IMHOgambling the ref would not send off someone with 2 min to go :)
Posted 07:27 09th September 2012
oldschool says...
Carpelone you muppet. I wish the refs would give us more "alleged" help against the All Blacks where we (and the rest of the world) really need it. We certainly don't need the refs help against your sorry mob. Five in a row.
...and apols to all the reasonable Sth African supporters however poor losers such as Carpelone just get me boiling.
Posted 07:00 09th September 2012
rugby_lord says...
@ Wallaroo - you are so correct at so many levels. The comment about SA producing a worst coach then PDV was actually funny. Oz was bad but SA though looked good in the first half, lost it and was even worse then Oz has ever been.
Posted 05:44 09th September 2012
bloemboy says...
Congratz to the Wobblies, they deserved this one.
As far as the boks go, downright appaling. Kirchner had as good a game as you can when you only have 1 skill. Mvovo, JdV and Steyn all had poor games while the pack appeared very flat aside from Etzbeth and Coetzee who put in a load of tackles.
What was encouraging was how the whole team seemed to lift when Goosen came on. There suddenly seemed to be some spark. Why for only 5 minutes is beyond me.
Coenie Oosthuizen, Biz, Brussouw, Burger, Juan Smith, JPP, Jaques Fourie (I wish) / JdJ, Goosen, Sarel Pretorius, Lambie all sorely missed..... O wait, half of them arent injured and are available! Surely the time is now to get the youngsters in to the team and build a winning team and culture.
Posted 05:17 09th September 2012
sandal says...
I never thought I would say this, but Nigel Owens is well on his way to becoming my hero. Here's why.
I have long been annoyed by referees accepting interventions from touch judges when the referees have been well positioned to stand by their own, differing view of events. I have waited to hear a ref tell his assistant: "I saw it otherwise."
Well, Owens, bless him, did just that, dismissing an intervention by Wayne Barnes when the latter said there had been a forward pass. (Anyway, Barnes, as the past two world cups have shown, has no idea what a forward pass looks like.) Owens said: "Flat, flat, flat."
Incidentally, is this why neither Owens nor Barnes would confirm Benn Robinson's try, though both, practically side by side, were perfectly positioned to award it? Did some frostiness between the two keep both of them silent?
btw @Carpelone
Why do you say Australia came from behind with the help of the referee? Both South Africa's converted penalties in the second half were dubious. On that basis (though I do recognise play would have run differently), the Boks were lucky to come away with the bonus point.
Bravo, Australia! Especially the Wallabies scrum (which I have been saying for a while is better than its reputation). I hope that, at least for a while, the result silences some of the critics -- many of whom, as OzinLondon has noted, come from countries with far worse records than Australia.
As a neutral, though one who usually supports the underdog, I love watching games between these two teams. There is always a passionate contest, and a huge difference in the array of weapons the two teams bring on to the field.
Posted 03:10 09th September 2012
Flyman says...
Well played Wobblies. A deserved win despite the boring kick fest. The Boks might as well go home & play Currie Cup, that way boofhead Heynecke wont cause any more damage to SA rugby.
Alternatively he can fire all the Bulls players & replace with the youngsters, that way there might be a decent Bok team in the 2013 Rugby Champioship.
Posted 02:49 09th September 2012
runnrugby says...
Higginbotham always plays better off the bench. He's not a starter. But how good was Samo, He's not bad for an old man. Sharpie on the other hand, some of the stuff he was doing was plain stupid
Posted 00:48 09th September 2012
Dingbat32 says...
As a Bok fan, sadly I now want Boks to get hammered for the rest of the tournament so that Meyer is fired.
Either that or Meyer proves that he is not the Sven of rugby (i.e. clueless idiot).
I know Jake White had a rough start, and I know there is a bad injury list, but no competent coach would pick Kirchner, and even Jonny Wilkinson has been dropped when his form has dipped as badly as Morne Steyn.
I hope Meyer proves me wrong, but currently I rate him as worst coach ever, and there have been some shocking coaches!
Posted 00:24 09th September 2012
Trinats2 says...
Again, poor game plan from Deans. Why get the ball out towards the worlds best 11 and then kick a grubber for him to chase time after time ? Keep the pill in hand. Why does Barnes kick the ball so much, what is his coach saying to him ?
Good to see so many Reds (good game ships)!!! Cooper getting more match fit and the Saffa scrum going backwards !!! If this second string side can win playing that poor, RWC 2015 is in the bag !!!
As for the Ref ? I don't think either side was on side at the ruck for the whole game. And when he saw the head butt on the big screen, did nothing ?
Knew Aus would win and knew it would be close, PR didn't print my post, i tried to "balance up" (many have used a profanity ?)the pro saffa preview (SA by 6) lol
Posted 00:00 09th September 2012
mashona says...
sad to see such a lack of game plan beyond the basics - kick and drive up with forwards, when will we start running the ball wide and create opportunities, its almost like the boks have forgotten to run the ball and are now so predictable. HM was welcomed after divvy but now one has to surely wonder what his game plan (Bulls) and player selection is at, so dissapointing with the wealth of talent and extra sad for the fans trying to ove away from politics and poor coaches
Posted 23:56 08th September 2012
philipjfry says...
@Ramage: I can't speak for the entire South African rugby community, but if you follow the regular posters on this site you will find that the majority of us agree with you that there is major trouble in Denmark. And yes, we are blaming other people for the loss, namely the coaching staff and the players.
Posted 23:55 08th September 2012
kiwilad says...
I thought the Bok players looked as if they thought that making the Bok side was all that was required.
Sure the tactics were poor, but the lack of urgency and commitment shown by the majority of Bok players makes me think they are a bunch of primadonas.
Bok players of old must cringe watching this.
Posted 23:54 08th September 2012
wolfgang says...
Congrats to the wallabies....this game is about who's da 2nd best rugby team in da world....as i said before,timani will be a great wallaby player...with only a few test matches he's dominating now...wallabies will be a force come 2015 world cup,the boks really miss heinrich russow,im one of his fans...i dont know what he did wrong to HM to not be selected...but so happy for the walabies win because here in OZ at the moment da rugby code is at da bottom...AFL n NRL are more popular n most of the population doesnt even know what is RUGBY UNION!!
Posted 20:30 08th September 2012