A wild Test match at Ellis Park saw the Wallabies overcome a 22-0 deficit to score 38 unanswered points as the Springboks imploded in dramatic fashion to open the Rugby Championship.
It was a result no one saw coming after the first 20 minutes, where South Africa looked in total control with a dominant power game that the Wallabies’ passive defence could not handle.
A litany of errors and poor decisions allowed the Wallabies to claw their way back into the contest, Joseph Suaalii’s first Test try from an intercept in the 57th minute closed the gap to 22-19 and from there the Wallabies continued their rise.
Rassie Erasmus uses the ‘s’ word
Rassie Erasmus uses the ‘s’ word
Here are four takes following one of the wildest Tests of all-time in Johannesburg.
Springboks suffer memory loss
After a Bud Light July schedule, the Springboks seemingly forgot what Test rugby is.
After getting up 22-0 after 20 minutes, they played the game like they were chasing the opposition, not leading, with daring ambition unfit for the situation.
As the Wallabies began closing the gap, the Springboks continued to throw the ball around playing with width. They wanted to play anywhere, anytime, with no regard for the match situation. The game management was non-existent. There was no balance. South Africa kicked just 18 times total in the match and made 17 turnovers.
Aside from that they had their chances to put the game to bed but the Wallabies resisted.
Right on half-time they turned down three points to kick to the corner. The lead was secure at 22-5, but the Wallabies escaped when Lood de Jager dropped the ball trying to form the maul. The clock ran out.
Again at 22-5, the Springboks went hard from a set-piece towards the Wallabies line only to be snuffed out by a Tom Hooper penalty on third or fourth phase. The Wallabies were clinging on to dear life at that stage and survived.
This was a rude awakening for the South Africans who were reminded they weren’t playing in the URC anymore.
Wallabies withstanding serious injury toll
The silver lining of the Wallabies injury woes is that they are showing surprising depth in their playing stocks. Halfback Tate McDermott once again played wing after Dylan Pietsch went off. Max Jorgensen went to the midfield after Len Ikitau left. And they pulled off a second consecutive big scalp.
They were without Lions series starters Allan Alalaatoa, Rob Valetini, Jake Gordon, Dave Porecki, Tom Lynagh, Harry Potter and of course Noah Lolesio who went down before it. There has been incredible grit shown over the last two months. Perhaps the depth in Australian rugby is much better than suggested.
Since they addition of Joseph Suaalii they’ve had a newfound sense of confidence, also bolstered by the emergence of new quality players like Max Jorgensen, Tom Lynagh while the scars of 2023 have healed.
To think that they would pull this off is improbable, but they have and deserve plenty of praise.
Bok loosies outplayed
The trio of Tom Hooper, Fraser McReight and Harry Wilson, outplayed their opposites for the second game in a row. The Wallabies might be missing the class of Valetini but this is working.
This Wallaby back row combination suit a defensive game. Hooper is a tackle machine, McReight is a hunter, and Wilson can log plenty too. By contrast the Springbok backrowers were configured to attack, with du Toit floating out wide, limiting his effectiveness in the game.
Du Toit finished with six tackles, Kolisi five, and van Staden seven. They produced zero turnovers. In attack, they did grind out plenty of metres, but in the end the Wallabies loosies snuffed out plenty of key raids. When the poachers went for the ball they made good decisions and came up with big steals.
The Wallabies passive defensive system looked weak to begin with during the 22-0 onslaught, but it still remained disciplined. The Wallabies only conceded four penalties the entire game, compared to 10 by South Africa.
Erasmus believed they weren’t tactically outplayed but they were. The Boks continued to overplay their hand despite being in a positions of strength and the Wallabies took advantage. Just as the Venus fly trap waits for the fly to make a dumb decision, the Wallabies waited for South Africa. They didn’t need to wait too long.
Wright time, right place
Wallabies fullback Tom Wright is always alert to a counter-attacking opportunity, sometimes to his detriment.
He’ll consistently scoop up a loose ball, whether under advantage or not, and try and make a big play against the run of play. We saw this continually during the Lions series. Even if there has been a Wallabies error in the process, he plays to the whistle and continues on, seeing what might develop.
That persistence paid off to produce the cherry on top with the sixth try in the Wallabies rout of South Africa. It might not have been a vital try, but at least put the result beyond complete doubt with a few minutes to go. Had the try gone the other way, the contest would have gone the distance.
It was a brilliant individual effort in the perfect place at the perfect time. Towards of the Test match at altitude against a tired defence, Wright made them pay when Kriel’s pass was dropped by Esterhuizen. On it like a flash, Wright flipped the script and ended the game.
James O’Connor’s Wallaby story grows again
O’Connor’s Wallabies career has risen from the dead multiple times, and Johannesburg was a glorious, but not perfect, chapter in this unfinished story.
After last playing for the Wallabies in 2022, O’Connor ended a three-year absence to pilot the Wallabies to a historic victory against all odds. Particularly as O’Connor was partly to blame for the 22-0 deficit they faced, with a lack of control and poise in the opening 20 minutes. He had turnovers from passes that hit the deck and kicked the ball dead, it seemed like it wouldn’t be his day.
But the experienced veteran did not fade, instead playing an impressive hand in the first Wallabies try, finding an offload for Len Ikitau to scamper around the edge and set up Pietsch. It was O’Connor’s vision and execution on the cutout pass to Max Jorgensen that gave the 20-year-old the space to break free for the try that put the Wallabies two scores ahead. He nailed conversions in a comeback where every point is valuable.
From young Test winger and fullback, to flyhalf in the 2013 Lions series, to exile in Europe, to missing the 2015 World Cup squad, to returning in 2019 as a centre under Cheika, then becoming a flyhalf again under Dave Rennie, O’Connor has had a remarkable journey. This is a nice chapter to add to it.
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