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‘Massively proud’: Battered Wallabies fall just short in Cape Town mud fight
Sometimes a masterpiece doesn’t need a sequel. The Wallabies’ first win against South Africa in 62 years in Johannesburg last Saturday was always going to be a tough act to follow, and so it proved in Cape Town.
It is a credit to the Wallabies’ vast progress under coach Joe Schmidt that a 30-22 loss against South Africa in Cape Town while decimated with injuries, is considered a disappointment.
The Test followed the expected tactical script on Cape Town Stadium’s muddy, hacked-up field that would have been better suited to an agricultural show.
The Springboks’ defeat in Ellis Park had chastened them into reverting to what they do best, brutally physical carries and aerial dominance through their recalled five-eighth Handre Pollard.
The Wallabies responded by trying to play rugby, spearheaded by their outstanding try-scoring wings – Corey Toole on debut and Max Jorgensen – while dealing with a raft of injuries that forced a constant change of personnel and tactics. Tom Wright (knee) and Nic White (concussion) both left the field early in the game, and Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii (concussion) didn’t return after halftime.
But even after trailing 20-7 in the first half, the Wallabies again rallied and came within a point of the Boks when they scored through Brandon Paenga-Amosa in the 68th minute. In slippery conditions, James O’Connor missed the conversion to take the lead, and the Boks then capitalised on a late mistake by Australia in their quarter to score a third try and push away.
Chasing a losing bonus point, at least, O’Connor missed two late penalty shots.
James O’Connor in action in Cape Town.Credit: Getty Images
South Africa’s muscular pack was custom-built for the conditions, with Pollard nailing two early penalties to settle nerves in a team that is not acquainted with coming off a chastening defeat to Australia.
White brilliantly brought the Wallabies back into the game, taking a quick penalty and then stabbing a grubber kick with Corey Toole racing through unopposed to score a try on his debut with O’Connor converting. Sadly for White, who was similarly outstanding in Johannesburg, it was his last major act in the game, leaving the field after 12 minutes after failing an HIA.
Toole was outstanding on his debut, silencing critics concerned about his size against the physically brutal Springbok defence. The winger also ripped two turnovers from South Africa, showcasing far more of his game than simply his devastating speed.
The reply from South Africa was immediate. A box kick from halfback Grant Williams caused chaos in the Wallabies backfield, and Pollard cleverly sent a cross-field kick for Canan Moodie to put down smartly.
The Wallabies had a try rubbed out by the TMO, after Andrew Kellaway made a brilliant tackle on Pollard, but in bringing down the playmaker was judged to have knocked the ball forward, with first-time captain Fraser McReight scrambling over to touch the ball down.
Australia’s Corey Toole, front, breaks away from South Africa’s Eben Etzebeth Credit: AP
The loss of White and fullback Wright, who left the field after only three minutes forced the Wallabies to use their bench far earlier than expected and upended carefully crafted tactics.
Ultimately, it vindicated Wallabies coach Schmidt’s decision not to be tempted to follow the Springboks with six forwards and two backs on the bench.
South Africa had weathered wave after wave of Wallabies attacks with McReight turning down two kickable penalties to go for the corner, ultimately having nothing to show for the decisions on the scoreboard.
South Africa punished Australia when Smith crashed through an attempted tackle from Wallabies second-rower Nick Frost to extend their lead, before O’Connor closed the gap for his side with a penalty just before half-time to leave a ten-point gap between the teams.
Schmidt was again forced to rearrange his backline with Suaalii being substituted at half-time, with Tane Edmed on for his second cap in the completely unfamiliar position of inside centre – after playing just three minutes last November on his debut in Dublin. Edmed had been starved of regular first-team rugby for the Waratahs, but stood up brilliantly in Test rugby.
Jorgensen had been secure against the South African aerial assaults and did brilliantly to pick up a kick from O’Connor and score under the posts.
The penultimate man to be emptied off the Wallabies bench, hooker Paeng-Amosa, did brilliantly to muscle over, with O’Connor missing a conversion that would put his side in front, slightly slipping on the muddy turf with ten minutes left.
There was always a sense that the Springboks could respond with a far fresher bench firing, after the disappointment in Ellis Park.
The most damaging component in the refreshed bomb squad, Eben Etzebeth, scrambled over for a try that ultimately put the game beyond reach for a brave and battered Wallabies.
Schmidt said he was “massively proud” of the side for responding to a batch of injuries to key players and coming within a conversion of leading the game in the last 10 minutes.
“Losing both (White) and Tom Wright, who was outstanding last week, obviously, just caused a little bit of a reshuffle. That early in the game, it does destabilise you a little bit. The Springboks got away to a good lead in that first half,” Schmidt said.
“But I thought we were really competitive. In the second half, I think we won the second half, not by enough to get quite back into the game, but a 23-22 and a conversion to come, I really felt that the players had done a fantastic job to roll their sleeves up and get back into that game.
“I was massively proud of the way the players stayed in the game after losing those guys, and then losing Joseph Aukuso-Suaalii at half-time.
We had young Tane Edmed, who hasn’t played for us since Ireland last year, and he had to come in and play 12. I was delighted for them that they actually patched themselves together and were still very competitive and still made some nice, clean line breaks as well.”
Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus said his side were pleased with the win and believed they are back in contention for the Rugby Championship.
“After a loss you lose a bit of belief so the big thing today was to win and deny them a bonus point,” Erasmus said.
“They’re ahead of us on log points but we’re happy with the win.
McReight said: “It was a tough Test match. There was definitely a lot of grit shown from our side, losing some key players early on throughout the match. It showed the quality of the squad that we have. There were some key moments that we probably lost out there.”
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