Australia v South Africa LIVE rugby: Result and reaction as dominant Springboks rout Wallabies
Australia 7-33 South Africa: The world champions showed their superiority at Suncorp Stadium to open their Rugby Championship campaign with a win
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South Africa showed their strength in a dominant performance as they kicked off the Rugby Championship with a 33-7 win over Australia in Brisbane.
The Wallabies had been three wins from three under new head coach Joe Schmidt, but were comfortably second best at Suncorp Stadium, unable to match the world champions’ set-piece superiority and physical edge. The Springboks were in total control for the entire contest, scoring thrice before half time having won the territorial battle, and adding two more tries after the interval to make totally certain as hot-stepping wing Kurt-Lee Arendse capitalised with a couple of scores.
Australia had their chances in the second half, but will rue their profligacy inside the visitors’ 22, coughing up possession repeatedly in advanced areas. For a young side in rebuilding mode after Schmidt’s appointment, there were signs of encouragement defensively but the hosts’ kicking game and attacking accuracy was short of the standards required to match Rassie Erasmus’ fearsome side.
The pair will meet again in Perth next week with the Springboks seeking just a second Rugby Championship crown since Argentina’s addition to the competition as they look to unseat defending champions New Zealand.
Follow all the latest reaction from Suncorp Stadium below:
Missed penalty! New Zealand 30-28 Argentina, 59 minutes
And that’s an error from one of them! Damian McKenzie tugs a penalty away to the left, three potentially vital points slipping by. Poor by his standards.
Changes at prop for New Zealand - Ethan de Groot and Tyrel Lomax complete their evening without having had to pack down for a single scrum. Ofa Tu’ungafasi and Fletcher Newell are on.
New Zealand 30-28 Argentina, 58 minutes
It was at this sort of moment in their series win over England that Scott Robertson went to his closer, bringing Beauden Barrett off the bench and relying on the veteran to steer the ship out of choppy water. But he’s lost that option with Barrett in the starting side - replacement scrum half Cortez Ratima is on for TJ Perenara but all of the All Blacks’ playmakers are already on the park.
PENALTY! New Zealand 30-28 ARGENTINA (Santiago Carreras, 57 minutes)
Three more from the boot of Santiago Carreras. Argentina are sticking with their hosts.
New Zealand 30-25 Argentina, 56 minutes
Argentina will answer instantly, as they have seemed to be able to all day. Dalton Papali’i makes a splendid tackle on Juan Cruz Mallia as the full-back hits the line at speed, but the openside can’t roll away quickly enough.
On comes the tee.
TRY! NEW ZEALAND 30-25 Argentina (Mark Tele’a, 53 minutes)
And it’s Will Jordan’s fellow wing wonder Mark Tele’a who provides an intelligent injection to score!
That’s precisely what Tele’a is so good at. With Argentina tiring in their defensive effort and a penalty coming, Tele’a meanders with menace, waiting to attack tight spaces and flagging forwards. He picks his moment to pop up on TJ Perenara’s shoulder, the scrum half dropping it off to the wiry, wiggly wing, who slips between two tacklers and slides under the posts.
New Zealand 23-25 Argentina, 52 minutes
Jordan’s arrival adds impetus to the All Blacks’ attack, purposeful and precise as they make inroads into the Argentina 22.
New Zealand 23-25 Argentina, 51 minutes
A return to action for Will Jordan on the wing for the All Blacks, replacing Sevu Reece. That may bring a few Pumas out in cold sweats given how he tore them to shreds at the Stade de France in that semi-final last year.
PENALTY! New Zealand 23-25 ARGENTINA (Santiago Carreras, 50 minutes)
Both times Argentina have beaten New Zealand, they’ve ended with 25 points. You fancy they’ll need more than that today, but Santiago Carreras’s crisp clap through the back of the ball takes them to that tally.
New Zealand 23-22 Argentina, 49 minutes
“I’m not seeing anything there, guys,” Angus Gardner says to his team of officials, though Brett Cronan is trying to talk his Australian compatriot around. The referee does not believe Blackadder has done much wrong, and after some back-and-forth, is happy just with a penalty. I’m not certain Cronan agrees, but that looks good refereeing from Gardner, Blackadder receptive and going backwards in contact, even if he could have been lower.
Argentina seem happy enough with a penalty to point towards the posts.
New Zealand 23-22 Argentina, 49 minutes
The huge Sclavi makes mincemeat of an All Blacks tackler with his first tote. TMO Brett Cronan wants to look at Ethan Blackadder’s actions in that tackle - the New Zealand blindside came off second best but there may be head contact...
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