Match Details
| Qantas Wallabies |
VS |
Springboks |
|
16 |
Kick off times:
6:05pm
(Local) Sat 19 Jul
8:05pm
(AEST) Sat 19 Jul
|
9 |
|
|
Head to Head:
Played 68 : South Africa 41, Australia 26, Drawn 1
Last Time:
30/8/08 : South Africa 53 - Australia 8 at Ellis Park, Johannesburg
|
The Robbie Deans era claimed its first major scalp at Subiaco Oval in Perth tonight with a superb effort at the breakdown and some colossal one-on-one defence seeing the Qantas Wallabies to a hard-fought 16 – 9 victory over the world champion Springboks.
The Wallabies performance had all the hallmarks of Deans with some extraordinary man-on-man tackling snuffing out every Springbok attack and committed work at the breakdown winning numerous Wallaby turnovers, despite the Boks being expected to have the edge in that facet.
On their most famous supporter, the great Nelson Mandela’s, 90th birthday the Boks were hoping to put one hand on the Nelson Mandela Plate, which the Wallabies have held since 2006.
A near capacity crowd at Subiaco Oval greeted both teams enthusiastically with the local Western Force fans giving Australia the edge in home-crowd advantage.
The Wallabies showed their intentions in the opening minutes with scrumhalf Luke Burgess initiating some quick wide ball movement sending inside centre Berrick Barnes into an opening. The young Queenslander just failed to find winger Lote Tuqiri who may have been away for the opening score.
The Wallabies were working hard at the breakdown but when No.8 Wycliff Palu was adjudged offside outside centre Francois Steyn landed a long range penalty from 45 metres out, despite slipping over while he kicked, to put the Boks up 3-0 after seven minutes.
Steyn was less successful with a drop goal attempt from the same distance after 11 minutes that was greeted with jeers from the crowd.
Tuqiri then sparked an Australian attack, splitting the Australian defence on a thrilling 40 metre break but a Matt Giteau cross kick beat a charging Rocky Elsom in to touch.
The Boks were also finding gaps with No.8 Pierre Spies making a break and almost getting speedster Bryan Habana away in a game that was stretching from end to end with both teams looking to make their opponents pay through swift counter-attacks.
The Wallaby scrum was excelling and Australia were given a penalty on halfway when the Springboks were adjudged to have pulled down the scrum. But the promising attacking situation ended with a missed drop goal attempt, this time from Barnes.
Fullback Adam Ashley-Cooper was penalised for sealing off at the breakdown giving Steyn another chance but from a shorter distance this time the Sharks utility back pushed it to the right.
Wallaby flanker George Smith was creating some superb turnovers at the breakdown to give Australia some possession but the Bok defence held firm.
On 25 minutes some superb Wallaby defence, and a knockdown from James Horwill, stopped a surging charge by South African prop C J van der Linde just metres from the line after a long break by Jean de Villiers.
Shortly after the Boks looked like they were through but Spies dropped an inside pass on the 22 he could have held.
But the Wallabies, showing their new endeavour under Deans, then ran the ball from inside their own 22 with No.8 Wycliff Palu finding a gap for captain Stirling Mortlock to take the ball over the halfway. Australia took the ball upfield and the move ended with a chip kick into the in-goal, cleaned up by South African scrumhalf Ricky Januarie.
It was the Boks turn to go close when a pass from hooker Schalk Brits inside to Habana was judged forward.
But it was the Wallabies who were first to score on 35 minutes.
After a penalty gave the Wallabies some field position a well worked lineout move saw a long throw put George Smith into space.
Smith served up a perfect pass to winger Peter Hynes who cut through to the 15 metres line, then quick ball movement saw Tuqiri slide in at the corner for a superb opening five pointer.
Giteau missed the conversion but with Smith, playing one of the best of his 87 Test caps, dominating the breakdowns the Wallabies finished the stronger at half time in a pulsating encounter. The teams went to the break with the Wallabies up 5 - 3.
The Wallabies stayed on top at the start of the second half continuing to dominate at the breakdown, with now Palu outstanding, and with quick ball movement stretching the Springboks all over the park.
And within five minutes of the re-start the Wallabies were over again after Mortlock charged at the line from 20 metres out, eventually carrying four South African defenders over the line.
Giteau again missed the conversion but the Wallabies were rampant.
Mortlock was replaced soon after looking heavily concussed bringing local Force hero Ryan Cross on to the field.
The Wallabies received another scrum penalty 30 metres out on 48 minutes and this time Giteau was successful to put Australia out to a 13 – 3 lead.
This was back to 13 – 6 only a minute later after a mistake from the kick off gave Butch James a penalty chance right in front. The Bath flyhalf made no mistake.
But the Wallabies continued to dominate at the breakdown with the Deans-style of playing to the ball giving the Wallabies the edge. The Australian defence was also magnificent making the crucial tackles just when the Boks threatened.
It seemed only a matter of time till the Wallabies would score again in a game being played at a helter-skelter pace coming into the last 15 minutes.
The Boks went close again soon after but more superb covering defence, this time from Cross, again kept the luckless Habana at bay.
The Force captain Nathan Sharpe gave away a penalty at line out, for dragging Bok skipper Victor Matfield down and Steyn landed the penalty to make it 13 – 9. But kicks seemed the only way the Boks could score with the magnificent Wallaby one-on-one defence holding firm.
A powerful surge from the Tendai “The Beast” Mtawarira from a lineout on his own tryline gave the Boks some attacking momentum but the Wallabies were determined not to yield. And again another well earned Wallaby turnover and some huge defence from Tuqiri on De Villiers stopped the Boks.
The Wallabies pushed the Boks line for the killer blow with Elsom dropping the ball inches from the line.
But it was Barnes who popped up after some more sustained Wallaby attack to land a polished drop goal to give Australia a 16 – 9 margin right on full time.
The win now sets up a titanic encounter with the All Blacks in Sydney next Saturday night. A win will see them make it five out of five under Deans and put them on top of the Tri-Nations table after two games with a game in hand over both the Boks and New Zealand. The ANZ Stadium will be rocking.
Tri-Nations
Full time score
Qantas Wallabies16 (Lote Tuqiri, Stirling Mortlock tries; Matt Giteau penalty, Berrick Barnes drop goal) defeated Springboks 9 (Francois Steyn 2, Butch James penalties) at Subiaco Oval in Perth. (Half time: Wallabies 5 – Springboks 3) Crowd: 41838
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