Springboks edge Wallabies to bounce back in Cape Town

The Springboks defeated the Wallabies 30-22 (half-time 20-10) on a cold and windy Saturday evening at DHL Stadium in Cape Town, securing a much-needed victory in their Castle Lager Rugby Championship match. 

This win, achieved in front of 56,350 supporters, allowed the South Africans to bounce back after a shock loss to the Wallabies in Johannesburg last weekend and to retain the Mandela Challenge Plate.

The team had been under pressure to bounce back strongly following their previous disappointing performance.

The Springboks initiated scoring with two penalty goals from Handré Pollard, establishing an early 6-0 lead, supported by a menacing scrum and intent at the breakdown. 

Australia's Corey Toole scored the first try, converted by James O’Connor, briefly giving the Wallabies a 7-6 advantage. Canan Moodie responded for the Boks with a try after a Pollard cross-kick, which Pollard then converted, pushing the hosts ahead 13-7. 

Pollard continued to pull the strings at flyhalf with calmness and precision. Kwagga Smith then scored after a period of sustained Bok pressure, with Pollard converting, extending the lead to 20-7. A late O’Connor penalty brought the half-time score to 20-10 in favour of the Springboks.

In the second half, Australia scored early through Max Jorgensen, with O'Connor converting, reducing the deficit to 20-17. 

Handling errors continued to frustrate the Boks, but it didn’t cost them as it did last week. Pollard added another penalty to make it 23-17. 

Australia’s Brandon Paenga-Amosa scored the visitors’ third try from a maul, but the conversion was unsuccessful, leaving the score at 23-22 in the final quarter. Notably, O’Connor missed two further penalty attempts. 

With four minutes remaining, Eben Etzebeth scored the Springboks' third try, converted by Pollard, stretching the lead to 30-22. Cheslin Kolbe made a crucial turnover in the dying moments to thwart a Wallaby attack.

Despite what was acknowledged as"may not have been the best performance, the Springboks were pleased with the hard-fought win. Handré Pollard was deservedly awarded Man of the Match for his assured performance at flyhalf, contributing 15 points. The team now prepares for two Tests in New Zealand, acknowledging there is room for improvement.

Scorers:

Springboks 30 (20) – Tries: Canan Moodie, Kwagga Smith, Eben Etzebeth. Conversions: Handre Pollard (3). Penalty goals: Pollard (3).

Australia 22 (10) – Tries: Corey Toole, Max Jorgensen, Brandon Paenga-Amosa. Conversions: James O’Connor (2). Penalty goal: O’Connor.