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Rugby-Australia fight back to stun South Africa at Ellis Park

Rugby-Australia fight back to stun South Africa at Ellis Park

The Stara day ago
Rugby Union - Rugby Championship - South Africa v Australia - Ellis Park, Johannesburg, South Africa - August 16, 2025 Australia's Nick Frost in action during a line out with South Africa's Lood de Jager REUTERS/Siphiwe Sibeko
JOHANNESBURG (Reuters) -Australia rallied from 22-0 down as captain Harry Wilson scored two tries in a stunning 38-22 bonus-point victory over South Africa in their Rugby Championship opener on Saturday, the Wallabies' first victory at Ellis Park since 1963.
South Africa raced into a commanding lead inside the first quarter through tries by wing Kurt-Lee Arendse, centre Andre Esterhuizen and number eight Siya Kolisi, but their Achilles heel this season has been the breakdown and it was there that Australia began to take control.
The Springboks led 22-5 at halftime but Australia came alive in the second period and were excellent in soaking up pressure and hitting the world champions with fast breaks as they won on South African soil for the first time in 14 years.
Winger Dylan Pietsch, centre Joseph Suaalii, winger Max Jorgensen and Tom Wright also crossed for the visitors in one of Australia's greatest test wins.
(Reporting by Nick Said, editing by Ed Osmond)
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