Australia defeated the world champion Springboks 42-38 in an extraordinary Test in Perth, holding on to win despite being reduced to 11 players in a chaotic final ten minutes that saw four yellow cards issued.
International rugby rarely delivers a finish quite like the one witnessed at Optus Stadium. The result extends Australia’s unbeaten run under new coach Les Kiss to five matches since his appointment in late July, marking their best sequence of results since 2017.
Yet for the first 70 minutes, the story was not about survival but about dominance. The hosts played with a vibrant, attacking edge, scoring five tries against the back-to-back world champions to build a commanding 25-point lead with just 16 minutes remaining on the clock. Centre Len Ikitau bagged a double, while fly-half Ben Donaldson, captain Harry Wilson, and winger Max Jorgensen all crossed the try line.
How Squeezing South Africa Built a 25-Point Lead
The match began with early pressure from the visitors. Springboks hooker Johan Grobbelaar drove over the line following a powerful rolling maul, answering an initial exchange of penalties between Handré Pollard and Ryan Lonergan. South Africa arrived in Western Australia following a demanding four-Test series against New Zealand, and coach Rassie Erasmus made 13 changes to his starting XV while retaining a formidable bench filled with World Cup winners.
Australia weathered the initial storm and seized control. Ikitau scored his first try from close range before snatching a second shortly after, reacting quickest when a Lonergan box kick deflected off Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii’s shoulder into the centre’s waiting arms. Although Edwill van der Merwe replied with a blistering score in the corner for South Africa, Donaldson slotted a crucial try just before half-time following 14 patient phases, sending the Wallabies into the sheds with a 24-17 advantage.
Lonergan kept the scoreboard ticking with penalties early in the second half, punishing Springboks errors. Erasmus emptied his bench, deploying his replacement stars with 30 minutes left on the clock, but Australia absorbed the pressure. Wilson burrowed over from a pick-and-go before Jorgensen intercepted a fumbled ball to sprint 60 metres for a stunning solo score, pushing the score to 42-17.
Four Yellow Cards and a Desperate Four-Minute Defense
Then came the collapse in discipline. Italian referee Andrea Piardi reached for his pocket four times within a frantic eight-minute span as communication equipment failed, forcing officials to resort to mobile phones on the field due to technical issues. Wilson went to the sin bin first in the 69th minute for a high tackle. Lonergan followed two minutes later after diving into the back of a ruck, yielding a penalty try for a professional foul.
Suaalii was binned next for an offside infringement following a video review, leaving Australia down to 12 men. Morne van den Berg scrambled over to cut the deficit, and Tom Wright appeared to seal the game with an interception try before it was called back. Instead, Hunter Paisami was shown Australia’s fourth yellow card for a dangerous tackle in the build-up.
“Jeez, that was a crazy last 10 minutes, but that first 70 minutes, the way we played, we implemented our game-plan in exactly the way we wanted.”
Harry Wilson, Wallabies captain
Reduced to 11 players with four minutes remaining, the Wallabies absorbed wave after wave of attack. Replacement prop Ox Nche crashed over in the final minute to narrow the gap to four points, but the clock expired before South Africa could find a winning score.
Coach Reactions and Locker Room Resilience
Wallabies coach Les Kiss praised his side’s grit while acknowledging that the frantic finish tested every layer of his match planning. He emphasized that the resilience shown under extreme pressure stemmed from the culture built within the squad.
“The last 10 or 15 minutes, that’s very little to do with coaching; certainly we have a part to play, but these boys, it’s what they have built in the locker room, they are a tight group.”
Les Kiss, Wallabies coach
On the opposing side, Springboks captain André Esterhuizen pointed to missed opportunities and defensive lapses during the opening periods as the primary factors behind the defeat.
“It was a pretty intense game and quite quick for a test match, but they capitalised on all our errors, and I think discipline let us down, especially in that first half.”
André Esterhuizen, Springboks captain
The victory secures the Mandela Challenge Plate for Australia, adding a piece of silverware to their recent successes as they head toward back-to-back Tests against the All Blacks in October with their unbeaten record intact.
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