South Africa vs Australia LIVE: Rugby Championship result and reaction as Springboks thrash Wallabies
Australia seek a first win at Loftus Versfeld as Eddie Jones begins his second stint in charge of the Wallabies
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Your support makes all the difference.South Africa put Australia to the sword as Eddie Jones’s second stint in charge of the Wallabies got off to a disastrous start.
Kurt-Lee Arendse’s hat-trick powered the Springboks to a seven-try 43-12 victory in Pretoria as the hosts flexed their strength.
Jacques Nienaber had named a side short of several regular first-choice stars for the Rugby Championship opener, but it mattered not as Australia were blown away.
Showing early attacking ambition and then taking full control with their power game, South Africa produced a statement performance in their first fixture of this World Cup year.
Australia twice had players sent to the sin bin after conceding penalty tries, Dave Porecki shown a yellow card after hauling down a ball before Suliasi Vunivalu’s deliberate knock on denied Arendse a walk-in fourth score.
It leaves Jones with plenty of thinking to do as Australia prepare to host Argentina in Sydney next weekend.
Argentina welcome New Zealand to Mendoza later on Saturday in round one’s other fixture.
Follow all the live updates from the Rugby Championship below:
South Africa 17-5 Australia, 41 minutes
Nic White hooks a hurried clearance away after taking a beat too long to set himself beneath Manie Libbok’s restart.
Andre Esterhuizen sets a platform for South Africa, and then it’s to the skies - Canan Moodie hares after the up-and-under and beats Marika Koroibete on the leap. Moodie can’t quite cling on as he comes back down to earth. Wallabies scrum 15 out from their own line.
South Africa 17-5 Australia, 43 minutes
Willie le Roux covers shrewdly as Quade Cooper tries a little clip up the right touchline. Le Roux’s return is better directed, Nic White having to scramble again and skewing his kick out for limited gain of ground.
South Africa can attack from deep in enemy territory.
South Africa 17-5 Australia, 44 minutes
Duane Vermeulen comes stomping around the corner, punching into the Australian fringe defence from the back of a maul. It’s back in the captain’s hands a few phases later, Vermeulen spotting a soft shoulder out on the right and driving to within five metres.
But the ball spills loose, and Australia snatch it. Can they extricate themselves? No, another sliced clearing kick, this time from Suliasi Vunivalu. The Wallabies can’t get out.
South Africa 17-5 Australia, 45 minutes
South Africa haven’t mauled much today but show they’ve still got a muscular massed effort in their toolkit, making metres meatily from the lineout drive. Bongi Mbonambi breaks away and is dragged down five out.
The Springboks are just making untimely errors, though. Pieter-Steph du Toit is the culprit here, messy mitts as he tries to grasp and launch a close-in carry. Knocked on. Australia clear more conclusively.
South Africa 17-5 Australia, 49 minutes
More breakdown joy for South Africa, continuing their early second half dominance. Posts or corner?
Tickled up the touchline. Bongi Mbonambi will throw ten metres away from the Australia line.
Over the top! Another chance goes begging, hooker and his jumper in different timezones as the intended hoistee doesn’t get up promptly enough to take Mbonambi’s dart.
TRY! SOUTH AFRICA 22-5 Australia (Kurt-Lee Arendse try, 51 minutes)
Kurt-Lee Arendse can’t stop scoring! It’s a hat-trick for the wing...provided the TMO clears a forward pass...
Brendon Pickerill is satisfied - the try stands! Australia were the architects of their own downfall, Len Ikitau slicing out on the full after tha Mbonambi overthrow. Marco van Staden and Andre Esterhuizen set down foundations with a couple of sizeable midfield carries before Pieter-Steph du Toit’s long limbs went striding further on.
Australia were left short of numbers on the left as Lukhanyo Am came around the corner, the centre’s flick flat to the flashing feet of Arendse. There’s still plenty for the wing to do, but he beats two in a phone box to get over in the corner and dot down his third try.
South Africa 22-5 Australia, 53 minutes
Australia are starting to capitulate. A tackle off the ball gifts South Africa penalty and the Springboks return to the visitors’ 22.
RG Snyman replaces Marvin Orie - the Munster lock is back in a South Africa shirt for the first time since the 2019 World Cup final.
TMO check! South Africa 22-5 Australia, 54 minutes
The South Africa maul gets a moving and are they over? Held up is the call, but assistant referee Andrea Piardi wonders if Dave Porecki might have felled it illegally. Upstairs for a check...
PENALTY TRY! SOUTH AFRICA 29-5 Australia (54 minutes)
Seven more for South Africa!
Bad to worse for Australia, who are being blown away in this second half. That’s the bonus point score, Dave Porecki clearly hauling the maul down after RG Snyman had taken Bongi Mbonambi’s accurate throw.
Porecki is sent to the sin bin.
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