A daunting six-match Test and travel schedule finally caught up with the Springboks as they suffered a 42-38 defeat to Wallabies in a one-off Test match in Perth.
The Boks looked tired and totally outplayed against the Wallabies, but they fought their way back into the contest later in the match, with the two sides scoring five tries apiece.
The Boks made 13 changes to their starting fifteen for this one-off test against Australia.
Handre Pollard was back into the side after injury, and he converted the first points on offer in the 4th minute.
Australia decided not to contest the first few lineouts against the Boks, but that didn’t matter, because in the tenth minute the Boks were able to orchestrate an attacking maul with Johan Grobbelaar at hooker getting his first test try.
Halfway through the first half, the Wallabies became more industrious with ball in hand and in the 24th minute outside centre Len Ikitau breached the Bok defence, and with the conversion the scores were level at 10 all.
Just three minutes later, the Wallabies were on the attack again. Ikitau collected a loose ball off a botched high ball gather, and he had his second try in a game against the Green and Gold for the second time in his career.
That shocked the Boks into action, and there was more urgency about their passes. Canan Moodie spotted a gap and sent the ball wide, Edwill van der Merwe was on hand to finish off the attack and get his seventh test try in his eighth test, and the scores were level at 17 all.
The Wallabies took their chances, and in the 39th minute after a period of sustained pressure, flyhalf Ben Donaldson rounded off a frantic attack to give the homeside the lead again. At halftime, the Wallabies led 24-17.
Australia opened the second half with a couple of penalties and then just before the hour mark, they extended their lead even more with a try from their captain Harry Wilson. Trailing 37-17, the Boks would now need three converted tries to regain the lead.
The Wallabies kept heaping on the pressure and the points, as the Boks started getting vivid flashbacks of their capitulation at Ellis Park last year. Max Jorgensen scored the host’s fifth try, and South Africa had a mountain to climb.
With Australia down to 13 men and committing numerous infractions, South Africa was awarded a penalty try after scrumming Australia off the park.
The Boks clawed another try back with six minutes to play through their scrumming and the urgency of scrumhalf Morne van den Berg.
With the Wallabies down to 11 men, the Boks kept fighting, and Ox Nche scored his very first test try and the Boks were within a score of winning.
Australia hung on for the 42 -38 win in chaotic circumstances.
The Boks now have a month to regroup before playing the European leg of the Nations Championship in November.
