Following the Wallabies’ stunning 42-38 victory over the Springboks in the standalone Test in Perth, here is our take on the key winners and losers.
Winners
Les Kiss
The new Wallabies boss is having himself a time of it in his new role, as his perfect record continues thanks to this victory. This was by far the most impressive win of the lot, too, even with the late collapse thanks to four yellow cards. The Wallabies just seemed to have a renewed sense of belief and intent in their attack, led by Ryan Lonergan and Ben Donaldson, and that is exactly the sort of identity Kiss is wanting his side to have moving forward. Around that, his selection and positional tweaks all seemed to pay off, which again could create a core system in the long-run.
On top of that, the sheer guts and bravery they showed at the end of the Test to hold a growing Springboks storm with four less players on the pitch will fill him with childlike glee. That is something he can really hone in on looking towards the Bledisloe Cup and beyond towards the World Cup, build it right into the foundations of his team and make it a real part of them. That is uncoachable stuff, but it seems his Wallabies side have it in bucketfuls.
This feels like a watershed moment for the Wallabies under Kiss.
Ryan Lonergan
There’s been a lot of chatter about the Wallabies number 10 shirt in recent weeks, but the number nine jersey seems to be more settled with Ryan Lonergan emerging as the main starter. But even then, on today’s effort, he could be their key playmaker moving forward.
He just seemed to nail pretty much everything he turned his mind to today, which played a key role in their victory. Kicking from the base of the ruck? Superb. Kicking from the tee? Ice-cold. Toying with the tempo of the attack? Outstanding. Combining with those around him? Pinpoint. Everything he did had a net-positive effect on his side, and that bodes well moving forward.
Australia are looking for the new core of their team to establish themselves and really cement a spot. This performance should do exactly that for Lonergan.
Sin-binned Wallabies
The four most relieved men in a gold jersey will be the sin-binned quartet of Lonergan, Harry Wilson, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii and Hunter Paisami. To say these yellow cards gave the Springboks a leg up into the Test would be an understatement; with Rassie Erasmus’ side’s only second-half points coming in that 12-minute block and they also bagged three tries in that time too, but it wasn’t enough to get them over the line.
Before their sin-binnings, all four were enjoying really strong performances, particularly Wilson and Lonergan, but their yellow cards nearly cost their side the game. They will owe those 11 players left on the pitch a few coffees tomorrow morning, you feel, after they spared their blushes.
Rugby Australia
Today felt like a real show from Rugby Australia that they are in a good spot heading towards the Rugby World Cup in a year’s time. Yes, the Wallabies have always been a decent draw for fans, but there was a very healthy crowd at Optus Stadium, on a bumper weekend of sport in Australia amid the AFL Grand Final (albeit the day after) and NRL Preliminary Finals.
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Crucially, this was also played in the venue that will open the World Cup, when the Wallabies face Hong Kong, China. That feels like a big tick in the box, and one that will have Rugby Australia beaming a year out.
Paul de Villiers
After making an appearance in the world champions’ opening Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry Test loss against the All Blacks, the Stormers tearaway was dropped from South Africa’s matchday squad and, like most of the Boks in action against the Wallabies, was highly motivated to do well. He was one of the few Springboks who emerged with credit from this fixture, the rookie openside flanker catching the eye with an impressive all-round performance.
The 23-year-old was prominent at the breakdowns where he was involved in a fascinating battle with his direct opponent, Fraser McReight, and both players eventually won three turnovers apiece. Apart from that, De Villiers was in the thick of the action throughout as he was a willing ball carrier and came to the fore with some big hits on defence. His stock would have risen after a superb all-round effort.
Losers
Tech team
This was one of the most dramatic, gripping and genuinely enjoyable Test matches of the year, but the tech issues quickly turned it into a farce. With it coming amid the backdrop of the Baltimore issues too, this is a most unwanted for the sport.
This is surely the first time a referee has had to use a literal mobile phone during a Test match, right? I mean, it was quite funny because it was just so random, but it was also really tinpot. Then, the scoreboard also played up with the Springboks listed as being 42-36 down instead of 42-31 adrift heading into the final few minutes, which only put the tech issues further into the spotlight.
Look, tech problems are sometimes unavoidable, but this was a really poor look after previous issues with similar situations. At least there wasn’t a 10-minute break this time.
Len Ikitau
Was certainly in the winners section of this piece for 99% of his outing against the Springboks, given his two tries and overall effect on the Test, but an ankle injury brought an abrupt end to his time on the field. This will come as a huge blow to him personally after a tough time on the injury front in the past year and the Wallabies ahead of the Bledisloe Cup Tests against the All Blacks next month.
Hopefully, it’s not as bad as first feared.
Rotated Springbok starters
It was always going to be a gamble for the Springboks after they made 13 changes to their starting line-up, particularly against a fast-improving Wallabies outfit who are on an upward trajectory in the Test arena. Of the new faces in the Boks’ starting XV, De Villiers and Canan Moodie were the only ones who can be happy with their efforts as both impressed.
Of the other new players in the Boks’ run-out backline, captain on the day Andre Esterhuizen and Edwill van der Merwe delivered solid performances. Of the other backs who were not in action in their previous Test in Baltimore, the half-back combination of Handre Pollard and Herschel Jantjies could not stamp their authority on the match while Aphelele Fassi had a game he will want to forget in a hurry.
Meanwhile, amongst the forwards, the decision to employ Marco van Staden at number eight backfired as he had no influence on proceedings on attack while Elrigh Louw also made little impact with ball in hand. Of the others who made a return to the starting pack, experienced lock Franco Mostert did his bit but it did not have an influence in the grander scheme of things. It was a similar story for the new front-row of Johan Grobbelaar (hooker) and props Jan-Hendrik Wessels and Zachary Porthen, who were solid in the execution of their core duties but could not provide a much needed spark when the Boks were chasing the game.
Rassie Erasmus
It’s not often that the world champions’ head coach gets it wrong but that’s exactly what happened in this encounter and he admitted it after the match when he said: “We picked the team, and we had a game-plan, and I thought we had a chance at the end, but the better team won on the night. It’s sad to lose, but it’s not because we’ve been together too long. It’s because we didn’t play well enough.”
It’s a damning verdict on himself and his team but that’s a fair assessment as most of Erasmus‘ selections did not deliver what was expected of them despite their head coach backing them. While those performances are down to the players, the team’s game-plan and style of play came up short against the Wallabies and that is down to Erasmus and it’s refreshing to see that he takes responsibility for the defeat.
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