Wallabies sneak it in epic quarterfinal

Like a thief in the night Australia sneaked a 11-9 win over South Africa in their epic World Cup quarterfinal encounter in Wellington on Sunday.

In a game in which South Africa dominated territory and possession – not to mention that the Wallabies made 150-tackles to the 50-odd of the Springboks – the only try came from the Aussies.

As captain James Horwill said: “Huge effort from the boys.”

Defence wins World Cups. That mantra was proved true again at Wellington Regional Stadium on a sunny Sunday afternoon. Hats off to the Wallaby defence that made 147 tackles and leaked not a single try as they were battered and dominated for almost all of the 80 minutes of this enthralling match. This was a Gallipoli that Australia won.

South Africa dominated the match and had umpteen chances to score. Australia were dominated and had three chances to score. They scored on each of those three chances and for the rest their defence won. It was not recklessly brave defence; it was shrewdly brave defence. They measured out the commitment of their defenders with great skill, knowing when to commit men and when to deploy them in a defensive shield. It was fascinating.

South Africa had chances all right. They missed two penalty kicks at goal and a drop by a metre or so. They battered at the line and lost the ball. They got over and were called back for two (suspect) forward passes. The great Fourie du Preez lost the ball forward right on the Wallaby line. Play the game again tomorrow and South Africa will win it handsomely, but not this one, the one that counted, the one that sends them home on the dejected heels of England and Ireland.

Tackling and turnovers won the match for Australia, that and that second-half kick by James O’Connor after the assistant referee had reported Danie Rossouw for playing Radike Samo in the air at a line-out. It was a long kick but the young Wallaby goaled it. That was the kick that made the score 11-9.

There was no faulting South African effort. It was immense but they were just not able to crack the defence.

South Africa started well and had Australia under immense pressure, pressure which would increase in the second half without creating an explosion. Lesser teams would have burst but not this energetic young Wallaby side.

South Africa, playing into the breeze, won Morné Steyn’s kick-off but Matfield – omen of omens – lost the ball to David Pocock. South Africa attacked again but near the line Heinrich Brüssow knocked on. Australia won a turnover off Bryan Habana. Then promise turned to dross.

Jean de Villiers, South Africa’s most incisive back, broke. It looked good but he threw a silly pass inside to Dan Vickerman and Quade Cooper kicked downfield for a line-out near the South African line. South Africa won the line-out and played off the top without consolidating. Schalk Burger bashed the ball upwards but Pocock was there and the Wallabies won the ball. They went left with Samo prominent and then James Horwill surged for the line and scored a try. O’Connor, who later goaled the penalty that counted, missed the relatively easy conversion. 5-0 after 12 minutes.

Kurtley Beale burst down the middle of the field past three South Africans. He played to Stephen Moore but Burger tackled him from behind. The Wallabies were attacking. They threw, deliberately, over the top of a line-out and attacked again. Jannie du Plessis was penalised at a tackle and O’Connor goaled. 8-0 after 16 minutes. Their next score was 55 minutes later.

South Africa attacked and attacked. Pat Lambie gave them an excellent position with a left-footed grubber. Pierre Spies was close and Burger closer but the Wallabies won a turnover and escaped.

Brüssow went off with a rib injury in the midst of all this, his place taken by Francois Louw.

Pocock was penalised but Steyn missed the penalty attempt from near half-way. Australia, by mistake, overthrew a lone out and Du Preez raced off with the ball, losing it in Will Genia’s tackle.

Just before half-time Pocock was penalised at a tackle and Steyn Goaled. 8-3 after 38 minutes. He had another, long, angled chance on half-time when Rocky Elsom was penalised.

South Africa had the breeze in the second half and there was just one Wallaby foray into South African territory. For the rest Australia fought from the trenches.

De Villiers broke and gave Lambie a clear run to the line but the pass was judged forward.

Bismarck du Plessis replaced John Smit and at the first scrum after his arrival Ben Alexander was penalised. At last South Africa got a line-out maul going, Alexander was penalised and Steyn goaled. 8-6 after 54 minutes.

Bismarck du Plessis charged down a drop-out, got the ball and South Africa attacked till Jannie du Plessis was penalised at a tackle – one of just four penalties against South Africa in the match.

But back came South Africa through many phases till Steyn sent a soaring drop between the uprights. 9-8 after 59 minutes.

From now on, bar a couple of minutes, it was all South Africa. But how those couple of minutes counted!

Lambie was just wide with a drop attempt and then Berrick Barnes, on for McCabe who went off bleeding, kicked down into South African territory. South Africa won the line-out and cleared, not all that handsomely.

The Wallabies threw in to Samo at No.2 in the line-outs. In this match the Wallabies lost five line-outs and threw one in skew. They lost this one as well but then the assistant referee reported Rossouw for an air tackle on Samo and O’Connor kicked the goal. 11-9 with nine minutes to play and the Wallabies, spirits renewed, kept the South Africans, spirits wilting, well in check for those nine minutes.

Man of the Match: It probably is every single Wallaby who made those 147 tackles but really the one who did most tackling and won most crucial ball at tackle time is David Pocock, our Man of the Match.

Moment of the Match: James’ O’Connor’s second, highly pressurised, winning penalty.

Villain of the Match: The players were fine but every single one of those who booed Quade Cooper was a villain for rank rudeness and unsporting conduct of an ugly kind.

The scorers:

For Australia:
Try: Horwill
Pens: O’Connor 2

For South Africa:
Pens: Steyn 2
DG: Steyn

The teams:

Australia: 15 Kurtley Beale, 14 James O’Connor, 13 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 12 Pat McCabe, 11 Digby Ioane, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Will Genia, 8 Radike Samo, 7 David Pocock, 6 Rocky Elsom, 5 James Horwill (captain), 4 Dan Vickerman, 3 Ben Alexander, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Sekope Kepu.
Replacements: 16 Tatafu Polota Nau, 17 James Slipper, 18 Nathan Sharpe, 19 Ben McCalman, 20 Luke Burgess, 21 Berrick Barnes, 22 Anthony Fainga’a.

South Africa: 15 Pat Lambie, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Schalk Burger, 6 Heinrich Brüssow, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Danie Rossouw, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 John Smit (captain), 1 Gurthrö Steenkamp.
Replacements: 16 Bismarck du Plessis, 17 CJ van der Linde, 18 Willem Alberts, 19 François Louw, 20 François Hougaard, 21 Butch James, 22 Gio Aplon.

Referee: Bryce Lawrence (New Zealand)
Assistant referees: Dave Pearson (England, Romain Poite (France)
TMO: Giulio De Santis (Italy)