Wallabies boss: 'It was bizarre for sure'
REACTION: Coach Les Kiss praised Australia’s “calmness” on Sunday after being down to 11 players in the dying stages of their 42-38 upset over World Cup champions South Africa in Perth.
The inspired Wallabies were on course for a comprehensive victory over the world’s top-ranked team, leading 42-17 midway through the second half of the one-off Test.
The match turned wildly when the Wallabies were handed a succession of yellow cards that saw skipper Harry Wilson, Ryan Lonergan, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii and Hunter Paisami sent to the sin bin.
The Springboks pounced and scored three tries to get within striking distance of snatching victory at the death.
But the Wallabies hung on to ensure Kiss’ unbeaten record continued in his fifth match in charge since replacing Joe Schmidt in July.
“It was bizarre for sure, just reflecting on it,” Kiss said of the flurry of yellow cards.
“But in the end, the boys found a way.
“The pleasing thing for me was that there was a nice calmness, a bit of clarity and focus about what they had to do next.
“How they looked and felt in those tough moments was incredibly pleasing.”
In front of more than 54,000 fans at Optus Stadium, the Wallabies played in exhilarating fashion to build a healthy lead.
Kiss’ selection gamble of placing Suaalii on the wing, a position he had never played before, paid off with the 23-year-old rugby league convert producing an energetic performance.
“I think tonight he found some good space,” Kiss said.
“We’re trying to work on adapting our positions and get a bit of depth in our combinations.”
South Africa coach Rassie Erasmus was disappointed his team fell into such a hole before the Wallabies’ late upheaval.
“I thought we had a chance at the end there,” he said.
“But we played ourselves in that position where we were 25 points behind, so we’ve got nobody else to blame.”
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