Springboks 'rain' supreme to drown Wallabies' hopes

South Africa's Lukhanyo Am (top) paid a flying visit to his Wallabies opponent Nic White. (Richard Wainwright/AAP PHOTOS)

South Africa's B team have come up trumps in Perth's big wet, with the world champions scoring four tries to nil to secure a 30-12 win over the injury-hit Wallabies.

In a Rugby Championship match blighted by periods of driving rain, the Wallabies only trailed 11-9 at halftime in front of 58,197 fans at Optus Stadium on Saturday night.

But the Springboks piled on three tries from rolling mauls in the second half to secure the bonus-point victory.

South Africa achieved the comprehensive win despite making 10 changes to their starting line-up from last week's 33-7 win over the Wallabies in Brisbane.

The Wallabies lost captain Allan Alaalatoa and fellow prop Angus Bell at half-time due to head knocks, and replacement prop James Slipper lasted just eight minutes in the second half before also succumbing to concussion.

Inside centre Hunter Paisami limped off early in the second half with a leg injury.

"I was really proud of the way we hung in through to half time," Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt said.

"And then right at the start of the second half, we lost Slips and we got a little bit dishevelled in the pack, because we were down in numbers.

"I was also proud that we didn't die wondering. We chanced our arm a few times, in pretty tough conditions."

Heavy rain in Perth throughout Saturday meant smart rugby was needed on the slippery surface, and the Wallabies largely failed the test during the opening 20 minutes.

Noah Lolesio's third-minute penalty got the Wallabies on the board early.

But they gave up field position a minute later when Andrew Kellaway tried to catch a bullet kick, only for it to slip through his fingers and go into touch.

Wallabies winger Marika Koroibete's attempted chip and chase would have led to a South Africa try if not for Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu's fumble with the try line in sight.

And Lolesio's audacious cross-field kick in defence that was picked off by Springboks winger Makazole Mapimpi almost proved disastrous, with only a try-saving tackle from Tom Wright keeping South Africa at bay.

A Wallabies fumble in attack led to South Africa's first try in the 17th minute, with the Springboks racing the ball forward before a dribble kick allowed fullback Aphelele Fassi to dive over.

Two Lolesio penalties - including a tough 45m effort from near the touch line - reduced the deficit to 11-9 late in the half.

And the Wallabies would have entered the break with a one-point lead if not for Lolesio missing a straightforward penalty after the siren.

South Africa extended their lead to 18-9 early in the second half when flanker Marco van Staden crashed over from a rolling maul, before Lolesio's fourth penalty closed the margin back to six points.

Max Jorgensen replaced Paisami in the 48th minute for his Test debut.

It meant Jorgensen and his father Peter became the 14th father-son pairing to feature for the Wallabies.

Jorgensen had one electric run in the second half to showcase his potential, but overall the Wallabies' chances were limited due to the conditions and South Africa's strong defence.

The Springboks opened up a 23-12 lead in the 63rd minute courtesy of another rolling maul from a line-out, with substitute Malcolm Marx touching down this time.

Any hopes of an Australian victory evaporated in the 73rd minute when Seru Uru was sin-binned and Marx scored his second try from the next play - again from a rolling maul.

"Overall, I would say very satisfying," South Africa coach Rassie Erasmus said of the win.

"It wasn't beautiful in this weather. It's tough to play beautiful rugby, but it was a satisfying victory."

License this article

What is AAPNews?

For the first time, Australian Associated Press is delivering news straight to the consumer.

No ads. No spin. News straight-up.

Not only do you get to enjoy high-quality news delivered straight to your desktop or device, you do so in the knowledge you are supporting media diversity in Australia.

AAP Is Australia’s only independent newswire service, free from political and commercial influence, producing fact-based public interest journalism across a range of topics including politics, courts, sport, finance and entertainment.

What is AAPNews?
The Morning Wire

Wake up to AAPNews’ morning news bulletin delivered straight to your inbox or mobile device, bringing you up to speed with all that has happened overnight at home and abroad, as well as setting you up what the day has in store.

AAPNews Morning Wire
AAPNews Breaking News
Breaking News

Be the first to know when major breaking news happens.


Notifications will be sent to your device whenever a big story breaks, ensuring you are never in the dark when the talking points happen.

Focused Content

Enjoy the best of AAP’s specialised Topics in Focus. AAP has reporters dedicated to bringing you hard news and feature content across a range of specialised topics including Environment, Agriculture, Future Economies, Arts and Refugee Issues.

AAPNews Focussed Content
Subscription Plans

Choose the plan that best fits your needs. AAPNews offers two basic subscriptions, all billed monthly.

Once you sign up, you will have seven days to test out the service before being billed.

AAPNews Full Access Plan
Full Access
AU$10
  • Enjoy all that AAPNews has to offer
  • Access to breaking news notifications and bulletins
  • Includes access to all AAPNews’ specialised topics
Join Now
AAPNews Student Access Plan
Student Access
AU$5
  • Gain access via a verified student email account
  • Enjoy all the benefits of the ‘Full Access’ plan at a reduced rate
  • Subscription renews each month
Join Now
AAPNews Annual Access Plan
Annual Access
AU$99
  • All the benefits of the 'Full Access' subscription at a discounted rate
  • Subscription automatically renews after 12 months
Join Now

AAPNews also offers enterprise deals for businesses so you can provide an AAPNews account for your team, organisation or customers. Click here to contact AAP to sign-up your business today.

SEVEN DAYS FREE
Download the app
Download AAPNews on the App StoreDownload AAPNews on the Google Play Store