Wallabies win basement battle

RUGBY CHAMPIONSHIP REPORT: Australia ended a four-match losing streak, as South Africa’s drought in Brisbane continues.

On the evidence of this match, there is no doubt that Australia and South Africa are the weakest of the four teams in the Rugby Championship.

If this is the start of the future, which this is, the Springboks will never win another Test match in Australia. Against a Wallaby side disjointed by the late withdrawal of its best players in Israel Folau and Andrew Pocock and its toughest forward in Adam Coleman, the Springboks did not score a single point in the 40 minutes of the second half. Will they ever score a point in any half to come?

Mind you, in 2006 the Springboks lost 49-0 to the Wallabies in Brisbane, and in 2007 they won the World Cup in France.

The Wallabies, Will Genia apart, were not much better.

The result was a scruffy match made interesting only in the last few minutes and then only by the score. It may have been wet, but there have been much better games in worse wet.

The Springbok coach had hoped for a good start for a change. He got a worse one. After Matt Toomua had kicked off to start the game, Faf de Klerk kicked downfield. Dane Haylett-Petty, moved from wing to fullback to replace Folau, caught the ball and started running on the Wallaby right. The Wallabies attacked on their left. They bashed at the line and captain Michael Hooper bashed through Elton Jantjies to score a try that Toomua converted. 7-0 in a minute.

For the Springboks, the first half was much better than the second, and when the Wallabies were penalised at a scrum, Jantjies goaled and it was 7-3.

The Springboks were doing the attacking, fuelled by a succession of penalties and a break by Siya Kolisi. When Marika Koroibete was penalised for being offside, the Springboks had a five-metre line-out. They formed a maul and drove it over the Wallabies line for a try credited to back man Bongi Mbonambi. Jantjies converted. 10-7 after 14 minutes.

The Wallabies were close to levelling the score when a Toomua penalty swerved across the goal, struck the far upright and stayed out.

Instead it was the Springboks who increased their lead. The Wallabies threw into a  defensive line-out, Izack Rodda slapped it back past Genia who recovered the ball but was shoved back over his own goal-line. This gave the Springbok a five-metre scrum. They bashed over and over against hard defence till a long pass by De Klerk missed three team-mates and landed in the hands of Makazole Mapimpi who plunged over for a try in the left corner. 15-7 after 29 minutes.

Kurtley Beale burst through Jantjies and set up a Wallaby attack. They went left and a great combined tackle by Mapimpi and Jesse Kriel forced Jack Maddox into touch just short of the cornerpost.

That gave the Springboks a line-out five metres from their own line. Mbonambi threw long. The only Springbok who showed interest in it was Kolisi but it bounced before him and Toomua grabbed and scored under the posts. Now the score was 15-14.

The Springboks made changes. On came Malcolm Marx and Cheslin Kolbe for his first cap. He was out on the wing, but the Springboks had little use for their wings. The Wallaby had only a little more.

Kolisi broke and set the Springboks attacking. The Wallabies were penalised at scrum and Jantjies made the score 18-14, but then Steven Kitshoff was penalised and Reece Hodge kicked a long, soaring penalty goal to make the time score 18-17 to the Springbok.

In the second half just six points were scored – two penalty goals by the Wallabies, the first against Kitshoff at a tackle, the second against Kitshoff at a scrum.

Early in the half the Wallabies had a great attack from a five-,metre scrum but Simmons knocked on. They were close again but Eben Etzebeth saved with an intercept

Although the Wallabies dominated the half, the Springboks had three good chances to score.

From a long kick by De Klerk, the Springboks caught Hooper close to touch and had a line-out. They attacked going right and came back left where Jantjies tried a grubber which went into touch-in-goal.

From a line-out Francois Louw was over but the TMO advised that there had been a knock-on by each side in the lead-up. It was an Springbok scrum and they attacked again, as the sands of time ran out.

The Wallabies were penalised in front of their posts. The Springboks opted for a scrum and attacked again till Bernard Foley, brilliantly intercepted. The ball went back to Genia who kicked it out to Wallaby delight as the final whistle sounded.

Man of the Match: Will Genia who was calm and whose decision-making was correct and efficient.

Moment of the Match: The Springboks’ long throw into the line-out for a Wallaby try.

Villain of the Match: Faf de Klerk, seemingly amused at giving away a silly penalty. Whom was he playing for?

The scorers:

For Australia:
Tries: Hooper, Toomua
Cons: Toomua 2
Pens: Hodge, Toomua 2

For South Africa:
Tries: Mbonambi, Mapimpi
Con: Jantjies
Pens: Jantjies 2

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Teams

Australia: 15 Dane Haylett-Petty, 14 Jack Maddocks, 13 Reece Hodge, 12 Matt Toomua, 11 Marika Koroibete, 10 Kurtley Beale, 9 Will Genia, 8 Pete Samu, 7 Michael Hooper (captain), 6 Lukhan Tui, 5 Izack Rodda, 4 Rory Arnold, 3 Allan Alaalatoa, 2 Tatafu Polota-Nau, 1 Scott Sio.
Replacements: 16 Folau Fainga’a, 17 Tom Robertson, 18 Taniela Tupou, 19 Rob Simmons, 20 Ned Hanigan, 21 Joe Powell, 22 Bernard Foley, 23 Tom Banks.

South Africa: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Makazole Mapimpi, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Aphiwe Dyantyi, 10 Elton Jantjies, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Warren Whiteley, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Mbongeni Mbonambi, 1 Steven Kitshoff.
Replacements: 16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Tendai Mtawarira, 18 Wilco Louw, 19 Rudolph Snyman, 20 Francois Louw, 21 Embrose Papier, 22 Handré Pollard, 23 Cheslin Kolbe.

Referee: Glen Jackson (New Zealand)
Assistant referees: John Lacey (Ireland), Paul Williams (New Zealand)
TMO: Glenn Newman (New Zealand)