Wallabies upset Springboks at Ellis Park: Four talking points
The Wallabies stunned a buzzing Ellis Park by pulling off a scarcely believable 38-22 come from behind win against the Springboks, earning the men from Down Under their first win at the ground in the professional era.
It was a extremely poor performance from the Boks, who initially got off to an amazing start, but then let in five unanswered tries as the Aussies incredibly came back to earn a well-deserved and comfortable win in the end.
Here are four talking points from the match:
Flying start
It was a flying start to the match for the Springboks as they ran in three tries in the first 18 minutes to power into a big early lead. It started straight from the kick-off as they attacked into the Wallabies 22m, with the ball then spread to Kurt-Lee Arendse to go over in under two minutes.
The second came in the 12th minute after fantastic interplay from the backline, with the ball going through the hands to Pieter-Steph du Toit out wide, with him finding Andre Esterhuizen on his inside to finish off a wonderful move.
The third came in the 18th minute, as captain Siya Kolisi picked up at a ruck in the Aussie 22m, stepped a player and went through to score. Manie Libbok had his kicking boots on, slotting two conversions and a penalty, with one conversion coming off the uprights, to give them a 22-0 lead.
Aussie fightback
The Wallabies improved markedly over the rest of the first half, managing to hold onto the ball better and take some play into the Boks half. This earned them a few opportunities but the Bok defence stood strong initially keeping them out.
In the 29th minute the Aussies got themselves on the board with their opening try, catching the Boks out with a good loop play that saw them earn space out wide for wing Dylan Pietsch to go over, which saw them trailing 22-5 at the halftime break.
The Wallabies continued their comeback in the second half, as Harry Wilson hit a great line to run in untouched, before Joseph Sua'ali'I intercepted a poor pass from Manie Libbok to race away and score, James O'Connor slotting both conversions to bring them within three after 58 minutes.
Wasted chances and slew of errors
The Springboks were guilty of wasting a number of good opportunities in the Wallabies 22m in both halves, which cost them dearly with the visitors ruthless, making sure they scored with every opportunity presented to them.
The Boks were also guilty of making a slew of mistakes that led to the Wallabies incredible comeback, which saw them score five unanswered tries. It was only in the 63rd minute that the Aussies hit the front for the first time, as Harry Wilson finished off a good move for his second.
Two minutes later Max Jorgensen was in to extend their lead to 11 points, and the men from Down Under secured a brilliant come from behind win in the 75th minute, when Tom Wright caught a loose ball in his own half and raced away, beating the last defender to put them into an unassailable lead.
Set Piece
The Boks struggled a bit in the lineout during the first half, having their ball stolen twice on attacking throws which cost them a couple of chances. But they got their own back in the second half, stealing a couple of Aussie balls in their own 22m to stop the visitors in their tracks.
But another few poor lineouts in the second half saw the Boks back to their struggling as they lost three more on their throw, including a skew through and another steal. Overall the Boks won 11 of their 16 throws, while the Aussies weren't much better winning 14 of 18.
In the scrums the Wallabies initially competed well, not allowing the Boks to gain their usual dominance. But as the game wore on the Bok scrum started firing and they started to dominate, earning some good scrum penalties.
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Daily Maverick
5 hours ago
- Daily Maverick
Gutsy Wallabies stun Boks with sensational comeback, ending 62-year Ellis Park drought
Australia overcame a 22-0 deficit to beat the Springboks 38-22 in the Rugby Championship opener at Ellis Park on Saturday. The Wallabies ended a losing streak of 62 years at Ellis Park with a magnificent come-from-behind effort that must rank as one of their greatest-ever victories. They turned over a 22-0 deficit after 29 minutes to run out 38-22 winners, stunning the 55,000-strong Ellis Park crowd. It's an outcome that will rock the Springboks to the core after one of their best starts was followed by a disastrous second half. The margin of defeat was the heaviest in the Rassie Erasmus era, which started in 2018. It was the first time that the Boks have conceded five tries in a half in the same period. And to compound matters, the Boks Rugby Championship defence is already in trouble as they failed to win a single log point while Australia took five from the contest. The Boks can point to being on the wrong end of a penalty count with frustration. Referee Ben O'Keeffe was hard on the Boks at the breakdown as the world champions conceded 10 penalties, while Australia somehow only infringed four times. At least two of Australia's six tries were scored after clear forward passes that went unpunished, but the reality was the visitors were the better team. The Boks mentally fell apart, the longer the Wallabies stayed in the game. Australia mined deep wells of reserve to stay composed after a ferocious Springbok onslaught in the opening quarter, which should have settled the matter. The Boks had chances to kill the game off when they led comfortably, but three times they failed to convert when on Australia's tryline either side of halftime. With each little positive outcome, the Wallabies grew in confidence while the Boks wilted. The Wallabies 'won' the second quarter 5-0 and from there their confidence grew. Erasmus will have some serious thinking to do because the drop-off in performance was alarming. From a position of total command and control, the Boks disintegrated into rabble. They were beaten at the breakdown and the lineouts fell apart. They also overplayed once they were 22-0 up, failing to control the game from a position of strength. Heart If there is one thing this Wallaby team has shown in 2025, it's that it possesses heaps of character. They were unlucky to lose the series against the British & Irish Lions 2-1, after a poor first half in the first Test. In some ways, this match was a microcosm of the Lions series, only this time Australia came out on top. They were rocked back in the first half but dominated the second, scoring five of their tries after halftime. Fullback Tom Wright, captain and No 8 Harry Wilson, scrumhalf Nic White, flanks Tom Hooper and Fraser McReight, lock Nick Frost and centre Joseph-Aukuso Sua'ali'i were immense, but singling out individuals is unfair. This was a collective effort that resulted in a stunning win against the odds. The Springboks produced a near-perfect opening quarter, scoring three tries as they rocked the Wallabies, but didn't quite break their spirit. The bombardment started from the kick-off. Lock Lood de Jager gathered White's kick and set up a ruck. Scrumhalf Grant Williams launched a contestable kick, which Wallaby fullback Wright spilled on the 10-metre line to give the Boks possession. The Boks then launched into attack mode, taking the ball through multiple phases, utilising both power and finesse. Marco van Staden, centre André Esterhuizen, lock Eben Etzebeth and others featured prominently, before Kurt-Lee Arendse finished in the left-hand corner. The time on the stadium clock read 1:33. The game was barely two minutes old and the Wallabies were on the rack. The restart to the try followed the same pattern, with De Jager collecting and Wright spilling Williams' kick, leading to Australia being buried in their own territory without a way to escape. It was almost painful to watch as Wallaby defenders were smashed back in contact as the Boks warmed to their task. It was relentless. Manie Libbok, who conducted the brutal orchestra from a comfortable lectern created by his forwards, landed a tenth minute penalty to grow the lead. Minutes later Esterhuizen scored his first international try in his twenty-first Test after another breathtaking build-up featuring Libbok, Jesse Kriel and Pieter-Steph du Toit in the final phase. It was rugby from another level. Captain Siya Kolisi added the team's third try after 18 minutes, when he was alive to a small hole around the fringes of a ruck close to the Wallaby line after another period of Bok assaults. When Libbok converted the score was 22-0, and it seemed there was no way back for the shell-shocked Wallabies. Comeback kids But if there is one thing Australia showed in the series loss to the British & Irish Lions, it's that they possess resilience and no shortage of nous. They stemmed the bleeding, thanks to a slew of breakdown penalties against the Boks – four in seven minutes – while Van Staden was off the field for a head injury assessment. This was the Wallabies' best period of the first half, and they were rewarded with the try for left wing Dylan Pietsch, after some clever manipulation of space down the short side. It was also a wake-up call for the Boks to tidy up their breakdown work after a lull. It was a warning they never heeded. The home team ended the half strongly and came close to scoring again, but valiant Wallaby defence kept them at bay and allowed the visitors brief sanctuary in the changeroom. But after halftime, when the Boks again failed to score when deep on the attack, Australia started to chance their arm and scored some superb breakout tries. Wilson scored the first of his two tries from what was a forward pass by prop Angus Bell. No matter, it stood, and suddenly there were only 10 points in it. When Sua'ali'i intercepted a Libbok pass 40m out to score, there were only three points in it. Wilson grabbed a second try minutes later from another linebreak to unbelievably give the Wallabies the lead. When wing Max Jorgenson scored the fifth try, which had its genesis inside Australia's 22 and from a wildly forward pass, the game was up. Wright added a sixth try as the Boks tried to run from deep and spilled the ball, to sum up their second-half display and a serious bout of soul-searching. DM Scorers:
The South African
6 hours ago
- The South African
Gayton to Springboks: 'We're still proud of you'
Despite a devastating loss to Australia's Wallabies, Minister of Sport, Arts and Culture Gayton McKenzie has insisted that South Africans remained proud of the Springboks. The national team faced off against their rugby rivals at Ellis Park Stadium, where they were beaten 38-22. The results have knocked SA out of World Rugby's number one ranking and into third place behind New Zealand and Ireland. On his X account, Gayton McKenzie heaped praise on the Springboks, who were no doubt licking their wounds after their loss to the Wallabies. The minister posted, 'We are still proud of you guys. A stumble on the road is part of all journeys. Let's get them next week, Go Bokke.' The Springboks will face off against the Wallabies next weekend on Saturday, 23 August at Cape Town's DHL Stadium. Gayton McKenzie has previously hailed the Boks, as well as coach Rassie Erasmus, He tweeted last year: 'The best sporting moment since becoming minister was addressing the Springboks after the win against the All Blacks. Rassie and his boys did so much for social cohesion and national pride for South Africa'. ' We owe them an incredible debt of gratitude. The greatest rugby team ever'. Meanwhile, Springboks captain Siya Kolisi has expressed his disappointment at their loss to the Wallabies. He said in a post-match interview: 'We let ourselves down today. They definitely won the breakdown battle …we have to take that on the chin. It's unacceptable the way we performed. To start like that and to take your foot off the pedal – it's just unacceptable from us.' Congratulating the Australian team, he added: 'They played really well, they kept on fighting, they never gave up even though they went behind, so well done to them. We're not proud of the performance we did today.' Siya Kolisi ended off by encouraging South Africans to keep their faith in the Springboks ahead of next week's clash. 'We're going to lift ourselves up and go next week and fight. There's not much else we can do', he said. Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
The Citizen
7 hours ago
- The Citizen
Springbok player ratings from 38-22 defeat to Australia at Ellis Park
Some of the Bok players performed well individually, but as a team they were well beaten on Saturday. The Springboks suffered a shock 38-22 defeat to the Wallabies in the Rugby Championship opener at Ellis Park on Saturday. After scoring three early tries and being 22-0 up after 20 minutes, the reigning champions conceded six tries and 38 unanswered points to go down to the Wallabies at the stadium for the first time since 1963. Here is how The Citizen rated the performance of the Bok players, out of 10. Aphelele Fassi 5: He tried hard on attack, without making much ground, while his kicking out of hand was poor. Didn't get too many opportunities to show his true potential. Edwill van der Merwe 7: He was excellent in defence, chasing back on two occasions to nullify dangerous situation. Looked dangerous with ball in hand. Jesse Kriel 6: He made one excellent line break which led to a try by the Boks, made a few tackles and missed a few as well – one resulting in an Aussie try. André Esterhuizen 8: He was excellent in defence, making good reads and tackled hard, while he also carried well over the gainline, with one good break, scored a first Test try. Kurt-Lee Arendse 7: He scored a try, was excellent in the air contesting for ball and made a few good defensive plays, one of which prevented a potential try. Manie Libbok 6: His distribution was good, he made one quality line break, while his kicking, to goal and out of hand, was decent. He made a poor pass which resulted in an Aussie try. Grant Williams 7: His service was good, he looked dangerous with ball in hand without ever really threatening, while his kicking game was top notch. The dejected Springbok players at the end of the match against Australia at Ellis Park on Saturday. Picture: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images Siya Kolisi 7: He carried strongly on a number of occasions and cleaned rucks, while he also did well to pick up and score a try. Left the action after 45 minutes. Pieter-Steph du Toit 8: He played a role in Andre Esterhuizen's try with a good offload, he stole a lineout ball with Aussies on attack and made several big carries and tackles. Marco van Staden 7: He made a number of big carries early on to get the Boks on the front foot and he tackled hard, but faded as the game went on. Lood de Jager 7: He carried strongly in the early stages, and made a number of tackles, especially in dangerous situations. Eben Etzebeth 8: One of his best Tests in some time. He was all over the place; he carried well and tackled superbly, and was a menace in the lineouts and jumping for high kicks. Wilco Louw 6: He scrummed well on the few occasions he had to, but otherwise enjoyed a quiet game. Needs to get more involved in general play. Malcolm Marx 6: He missed his lineout target on three occasions, but won a breakdown penalty and was busy in the tight-loose, often collecting loose ball and carrying. Ox Nche 6: He scrummed well when he had to, and carried on one occasion and made a few tackles. Bench 4: Not the best outing for the 'bomb squad'. Kwagga Smith was the busiest of them all, while Canan Moodie missed a tackle which led to a try and Damian Willemse was stepped for a try. Bongi Mbonambi missed a lineout, while Boan Venter, Asenathi Ntlabakanye, and Franco Mostert were back-pedalling. Cobus Reinach made a late appearance.
