Home » Springboks Draw With Wallabies in Perth, Playing with Mandela’s Number

Springboks Draw With Wallabies in Perth, Playing with Mandela’s Number

The Springboks proved themselves Saturday in Australia, by pulling off a draw against the Wallabies. And if they’d been just a little less sloppy in the first half, they may even have won it… but it gave them an opportunity to give us a thrilling match as they clawed their way back from 20-10 down. […]

By SAPeople
09-09-17 17:47
in Fab South African Stuff

The Springboks proved themselves Saturday in Australia, by pulling off a draw against the Wallabies. And if they’d been just a little less sloppy in the first half, they may even have won it… but it gave them an opportunity to give us a thrilling match as they clawed their way back from 20-10 down.

The two national sides drew 23-all in the Rugby Championship test match in Perth.

The Springboks played poorly in the first half, winning very little possession and making too many elementary errors. It was probably their worst play this year.

Even the start of the second half was bad… but by the hour mark, the Boks had turned it around and looked like a different team.

After Siya Kolisi’s break, followed by Jan Serfontein’s impressive run and Elton Jantjie’s penalty the Boks mainly dominated, winning a lot more possession.

Some spectators felt that after Jantjie’s third penalty – which put the Boks 23-20 ahead, the South Africans should have scrummed again to force a penalty try but, according to Supersport writer Gavin Rich, the Boks did the right thing – “With 13 minutes to go in such a close game skipper Eben Etzebeth made the right decision to kick the easy penalty that put his team back in front.”

Summing up the match, Rich says: “It was debatable though whether the Australians were that good. Instead it was the Boks who were poor. They looked nervy, and while on several occasions they forced turn-overs, they would frequently ruin that good work by spilling the ball forward. The game had no flow and was the sort of arm-wrestle we tend to see in humid Durban in February or March.”

Rich said the Springboks conceded too many penalties under pressure, and will have to improve on that before next week’s match against the All Blacks.

He added that one dilemma coach Allister Coetzee will face is what to do about his No5 lock selection because although Franco Smith was “brilliant’ in the first five tests this year, hard-working Pieter-Steph du Toit was “undeniably the best Bok player” today.

The Springboks played today with late President Nelson Mandela’s prison number on their shirts. (See photos below.)

Scorers in Perth:

South Africa 23 – Tries: Jesse Kriel and Malcolm Marx; Conversions: Elton Jantjies 2; Penalties: Elton Jantjies 3.

Australia 23 – Tries: Kurtley Beale and Tatafu Polotu-Nau; Conversions: Bernard Foley 2; Penalties: Bernard Foley 3.