DOWN TO EARTH: Eleven-man Wallabies resist Springboks’ rearguard to secure famous Perth win

The Springboks came up just short of pulling off the heist of the season, scoring 21 unanswered points in a frenetic final 10 minutes against Australia in Perth, to suffer their second loss of the season.In truth, the Wallabies were the better team for most of the match and were deserved winners as they reclaimed the Mandela Plate for the first time since 2022. It was only in the final 15 minutes as Australia’s discipline and composure deserted them in the face of a typical Bok rearguard, that it became a tight contest.It was also a bizarre match, with Italian referee Andrea Piardi reduced to using the fourth official’s mobile phone to communicate with the television match official in the final quarter, when all manner of incidents happened.Australia lost four men to the sin bin from the 69th to the 76th minutes, with captain Harry Wilson the first to go for a high tackle on Malcolm Marx.Scrumhalf Ryan Lonergan followed a minute later when he dived into a retreating scrum. Piardi awarded a penalty try to the Boks and issued the halfback his marching orders to add insult to injury.Three minutes later, wing Joseph-Aukuso Sua’ali’i joined the growing crowd in the sin bin, for being offside when he tackled Marx in the red zone.To compound matters, centre Hunter Paisami was carded for a late and high tackle on Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu in the 76th minute. By the time he joined his teammates the sin bin area looked like a bus stop with so many players gathered.The Australian team lifts the Mandela plate after victory over the Springboks in Perth. (Photo: Antony Dickson / Gallo Images) Despite these Wallaby indiscretions, the Boks were unable to score the improbable four tries they needed in the final 10 minutes to win. They came close, and they were frustrated with some stoppages on the field while the clock kept running.They will rue some poor decisions when they had a three- and four-man advantage, but in reality this match was lost long before it descended into farce in the final 10 minutes.They could point to being together for three months due to the schedule and the arduous four-Test Greatest Rivalry series against the All Blacks as excuses, but that would be clutching at straws. The Boks simply weren’t good enough and Australia were excellent for at least an hour.The 42 points the Boks conceded is the most in the Rassie Erasmus era since 2018 and a good warning sign that after making 13 changes, maybe the Boks’ depth is not as brilliant as believed.“It’s shit to lose, and it’s not because of the long touring, it’s because we weren’t good enough and Australia were better,” Erasmus said.“The fact is, Australia are a good team, playing well under Les (Kiss). I won’t say we learned lessons but this was a valuable experience for us.”The ecstasy of victory and the agony of defeat. Australian players celebrate as Bok utility back Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu shows his dejection in Perth. (Photo: Antony Dickson / Gallo Images) Dominant WallabiesWhen there was parity in numbers, Australia simply outplayed the Boks in almost every facet of the game.They won the aerial battle for contestable kicks, were strong in the set piece and allowed the Boks no dominance in that area until those late, crazy minutes, and they dominated contact. It’s not often that the Boks are so comprehensively second best.Wallaby coach Les Kiss signalled his intentions by selecting Sua’ali’i on the wing for the first time in a Test, to combat the Boks’ aerial threat.And the selection was justified just three seconds into the contest when Sua’ali’i collected the hanging kick-off under the noses of the Bok forwards, having chased through.Two phases later, and in a promising attacking position, impressive Bok flank Paul de Villiers swooped in to win the first of his three breakdown penalty wins of the match.On a day where few performances were up to the Boks’ usual standards, De Villiers shone brightly. The breakdown was a tough contest, with both teams winning several penalties in that facet of the game, but neither really came out on top.Len Ikitau of the Wallabies scores. (Photo: Paul Kane / Getty Images) De Villiers’s early intervention stopped the Wallabies momentum that time, but Australia were only just starting.The Boks took the lead when Handrè Pollard slotted a penalty from near halfway in the third minute following De Villiers’s second breakdown penalty win of the match.The Boks scored the first try of the contest too, coming when they declined an easy three points under the posts and kicked to touch instead.Hooker Johan Grobbelaar found his target and immediately the rolling maul was set. Like the All Blacks a few weeks ago, the Wallabies had no way of stopping it and the Bok hooker celebrated his first Test try, which Pollard converted.So far, so good for the mix-and-match Bok starting unit.But the Wallabies are not undefeated under Kiss – five games before this one – for nothing.They struck back with a well-worked try from centre Len Ikitau who finished a multiphase move that started from a penalty, that led to a line-out and then to the direct attack.Ikitau scored his second minutes later, which had its genesis from a high kick launched by Lonergan, which Suaiali’i plucked off Aphelele Fassi’s nose, tapping it back.Ikitau picked up the loose ball and scored.The Boks took a little while to respond as they spent a long period on defence, but when they did, it was a peach of a try.From a ruck on halfway, close to the left touchline, they swung the ball right. Pollard produced a fine pass for centre Canan Moodie, who beat Ikitau on the outside. Fassi ranged up and took Moodie’s pass before feeding wing Edwill van der Merwe who completed the score.The Boks set a rolling maul that led to a try for hooker Johan Grobbelaar (No 2) against the Wallabies in Perth. (Photo: Janelle St Pierre / Getty Images) MomentumJust before halftime the Wallabies broke the 17-17 stalemate when flyhalf Ben Donaldson scored in the corner from another multiphase move which included an outrageous grubber kick from fullback Tom Wright, that kept the attack alive.With a seven-point advantage going into the break, the Wallabies had momentum. An early second-half penalty from Lonergan stretched the lead to double figures for the first time.The Boks were on the rack and when Wilson barged over to complete another multiphase Wallaby attack, the Boks were in trouble as the final quarter started.That trouble turned into an insurmountable obstacle when Moodie, who was otherwise excellent, dropped a simple pass during a promising Bok attack, allowing Wallaby wing Max Jorgensen to scoop up the loose ball and race 40m to score.With the conversion, the Boks were 25 points down and out of it. The introduction of the powerful Bok bench managed to wrestle back some momentum.Edwill van der Merwe of the Springboks runs in for a try. (Photo: James Worsfold/Getty Images) That momentum turned into pressure and that pressure manifested in the slew of yellow cards.Tries for Ox Nche and Morne van den Berg in addition to the penalty try, nearly saw the Boks secure an improbable victory.In the end though, the right team won. DMScorers:Australia – Tries: Len Ikitau (2), Ben Donaldson, Harry Wilson, Mac Jorgensen. Conversions: Ryan Lonergan (4), Penalties: Lonergan (2)South Africa – Tries: Johan Grobbelaar, Edwill van der Merwe, penalty try, Ox Nche, Morne van den Berg. Conversions: Handrè Pollard (2), Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (3). Penalty: Pollard.