Latest news with #Pietsch
The Advertiser
8 hours ago
- Sport
- The Advertiser
'I'm blown away': coach hails Wallabies' crazy comeback
The Wallabies have pulled off a miraculous comeback to open the Rugby Championship in grand style with a famous 38-22 triumph over the world champion Springboks in South Africa. If this wasn't the Wallabies' greatest ever victory, it was certainly their most improbable after Joe Schmidt's revitalised outfit recovered from 22-0 down in Johannesburg. With skipper Harry Wilson, fellow back-rower Fraser McReight, fullback Tom Wright and veteran flyhalf James O'Connor starring, the Wallabies piled on four unanswered second-half tries to record Australia's first victory over the Springboks at altitude since 1963. The stirring success came at a cost, though, with Wilson escorted off with a possible ACL knee injury after touching down for his second try and winger Dylan Pietsch sustaining a suspected broken jaw. Minutes after crossing for Australia's opening try, Pietsch came off second best in a collision with Springboks captain Siya Kolisi. But the Wallabies are otherwise savouring a truly incredible win at Ellis Park. The two-time defending world champion Springboks looked set to consign Australia's last-up victory over the British and Irish Lions to a distant memory when they raced out to their 22-0 lead inside 18 minutes. Schmidt described the Wallabies' start as "horrendous" and said relief was his over-riding emotion in the immediate aftermath to a pulsating encounter. "I'm just blown away a little bit by the way they stayed in the game," he said. "Because at 22-0 down after 20 minutes, it would be easy to fall out of the game. "I know how much it means to them. They're incredibly proud of the gold jersey that they wear and the bond that they're forming between themselves." In a lightning start, winger Kurt-Lee Arendse bagged South Africa's opening try after just 94 seconds. Initially unable to cope with the home team's awesome skill and firepower, the Wallabies conceded a second when centre Andre Esterhuizen completed the slickest of raids in the 12th minute. Pietsch put Australia on the board after 28 minutes when he finished off some nice lead-up work from O'Connor and centre Len Ikitau, who handled twice in the movement. Pietsch lasted only two more minutes before his head caught the shoulder of Kolisi while trying to stop South Africa's rampaging No.8. His side trailing 22-5 at the break, Schmidt felt the Wallabies could still win. "We talked mostly about the second 20 (minutes)," he told Stan Sport. "We won the second 5-0, and we said, 'Well, if we can win the second 5-0, we can win the next 5-0 and then we're in the game. "And once we got into the game, I just felt that we grew in confidence." Needing something special, Angus Bell delivered first for the Wallabies, the replacement prop's deft short putting Wilson over two minutes into the second half. Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii then intercepted a cut-out pass from Springboks flyhalf Manie Libbok to suddenly pull the score back to 22-19. Then the unthinkable happened. The Wallabies hit the lead for the first time when Wright broke free from inside his own half to put Wilson over for his second try to give the Wallabies a shock lead. Playing his first Test since 2022 and a record-breaking 17 years after debuting, O'Connor found Max Jorgensen with a beautiful left-to-right long ball before the winger did the rest in another magical long-range strike for Australia. Turning defence into scintillating attack, Wright sped 80 metres to score the game sealer with five minutes remaining, leaving South African fans silently shell-shocked. Schmidt said it was important for the Wallabies to celebrate the remarkable win before shifting focus to next week's second Rugby Championship clash with the Boks in Cape Town. The coach was unsure how serious the injuries to Wilson and Pietsch were. "Pietsch, obviously he did hurt his jaw. We're not sure to what degree at the moment," Schmidt said. "I'd love to think it's just bruising but we're going to have to get a little bit of a look at that in time. "And with Harry as well, he got a bit of a wobble on it but he's feeling a little bit more comfortable now. "So we live in hope." The Wallabies have pulled off a miraculous comeback to open the Rugby Championship in grand style with a famous 38-22 triumph over the world champion Springboks in South Africa. If this wasn't the Wallabies' greatest ever victory, it was certainly their most improbable after Joe Schmidt's revitalised outfit recovered from 22-0 down in Johannesburg. With skipper Harry Wilson, fellow back-rower Fraser McReight, fullback Tom Wright and veteran flyhalf James O'Connor starring, the Wallabies piled on four unanswered second-half tries to record Australia's first victory over the Springboks at altitude since 1963. The stirring success came at a cost, though, with Wilson escorted off with a possible ACL knee injury after touching down for his second try and winger Dylan Pietsch sustaining a suspected broken jaw. Minutes after crossing for Australia's opening try, Pietsch came off second best in a collision with Springboks captain Siya Kolisi. But the Wallabies are otherwise savouring a truly incredible win at Ellis Park. The two-time defending world champion Springboks looked set to consign Australia's last-up victory over the British and Irish Lions to a distant memory when they raced out to their 22-0 lead inside 18 minutes. Schmidt described the Wallabies' start as "horrendous" and said relief was his over-riding emotion in the immediate aftermath to a pulsating encounter. "I'm just blown away a little bit by the way they stayed in the game," he said. "Because at 22-0 down after 20 minutes, it would be easy to fall out of the game. "I know how much it means to them. They're incredibly proud of the gold jersey that they wear and the bond that they're forming between themselves." In a lightning start, winger Kurt-Lee Arendse bagged South Africa's opening try after just 94 seconds. Initially unable to cope with the home team's awesome skill and firepower, the Wallabies conceded a second when centre Andre Esterhuizen completed the slickest of raids in the 12th minute. Pietsch put Australia on the board after 28 minutes when he finished off some nice lead-up work from O'Connor and centre Len Ikitau, who handled twice in the movement. Pietsch lasted only two more minutes before his head caught the shoulder of Kolisi while trying to stop South Africa's rampaging No.8. His side trailing 22-5 at the break, Schmidt felt the Wallabies could still win. "We talked mostly about the second 20 (minutes)," he told Stan Sport. "We won the second 5-0, and we said, 'Well, if we can win the second 5-0, we can win the next 5-0 and then we're in the game. "And once we got into the game, I just felt that we grew in confidence." Needing something special, Angus Bell delivered first for the Wallabies, the replacement prop's deft short putting Wilson over two minutes into the second half. Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii then intercepted a cut-out pass from Springboks flyhalf Manie Libbok to suddenly pull the score back to 22-19. Then the unthinkable happened. The Wallabies hit the lead for the first time when Wright broke free from inside his own half to put Wilson over for his second try to give the Wallabies a shock lead. Playing his first Test since 2022 and a record-breaking 17 years after debuting, O'Connor found Max Jorgensen with a beautiful left-to-right long ball before the winger did the rest in another magical long-range strike for Australia. Turning defence into scintillating attack, Wright sped 80 metres to score the game sealer with five minutes remaining, leaving South African fans silently shell-shocked. Schmidt said it was important for the Wallabies to celebrate the remarkable win before shifting focus to next week's second Rugby Championship clash with the Boks in Cape Town. The coach was unsure how serious the injuries to Wilson and Pietsch were. "Pietsch, obviously he did hurt his jaw. We're not sure to what degree at the moment," Schmidt said. "I'd love to think it's just bruising but we're going to have to get a little bit of a look at that in time. "And with Harry as well, he got a bit of a wobble on it but he's feeling a little bit more comfortable now. "So we live in hope." The Wallabies have pulled off a miraculous comeback to open the Rugby Championship in grand style with a famous 38-22 triumph over the world champion Springboks in South Africa. If this wasn't the Wallabies' greatest ever victory, it was certainly their most improbable after Joe Schmidt's revitalised outfit recovered from 22-0 down in Johannesburg. With skipper Harry Wilson, fellow back-rower Fraser McReight, fullback Tom Wright and veteran flyhalf James O'Connor starring, the Wallabies piled on four unanswered second-half tries to record Australia's first victory over the Springboks at altitude since 1963. The stirring success came at a cost, though, with Wilson escorted off with a possible ACL knee injury after touching down for his second try and winger Dylan Pietsch sustaining a suspected broken jaw. Minutes after crossing for Australia's opening try, Pietsch came off second best in a collision with Springboks captain Siya Kolisi. But the Wallabies are otherwise savouring a truly incredible win at Ellis Park. The two-time defending world champion Springboks looked set to consign Australia's last-up victory over the British and Irish Lions to a distant memory when they raced out to their 22-0 lead inside 18 minutes. Schmidt described the Wallabies' start as "horrendous" and said relief was his over-riding emotion in the immediate aftermath to a pulsating encounter. "I'm just blown away a little bit by the way they stayed in the game," he said. "Because at 22-0 down after 20 minutes, it would be easy to fall out of the game. "I know how much it means to them. They're incredibly proud of the gold jersey that they wear and the bond that they're forming between themselves." In a lightning start, winger Kurt-Lee Arendse bagged South Africa's opening try after just 94 seconds. Initially unable to cope with the home team's awesome skill and firepower, the Wallabies conceded a second when centre Andre Esterhuizen completed the slickest of raids in the 12th minute. Pietsch put Australia on the board after 28 minutes when he finished off some nice lead-up work from O'Connor and centre Len Ikitau, who handled twice in the movement. Pietsch lasted only two more minutes before his head caught the shoulder of Kolisi while trying to stop South Africa's rampaging No.8. His side trailing 22-5 at the break, Schmidt felt the Wallabies could still win. "We talked mostly about the second 20 (minutes)," he told Stan Sport. "We won the second 5-0, and we said, 'Well, if we can win the second 5-0, we can win the next 5-0 and then we're in the game. "And once we got into the game, I just felt that we grew in confidence." Needing something special, Angus Bell delivered first for the Wallabies, the replacement prop's deft short putting Wilson over two minutes into the second half. Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii then intercepted a cut-out pass from Springboks flyhalf Manie Libbok to suddenly pull the score back to 22-19. Then the unthinkable happened. The Wallabies hit the lead for the first time when Wright broke free from inside his own half to put Wilson over for his second try to give the Wallabies a shock lead. Playing his first Test since 2022 and a record-breaking 17 years after debuting, O'Connor found Max Jorgensen with a beautiful left-to-right long ball before the winger did the rest in another magical long-range strike for Australia. Turning defence into scintillating attack, Wright sped 80 metres to score the game sealer with five minutes remaining, leaving South African fans silently shell-shocked. Schmidt said it was important for the Wallabies to celebrate the remarkable win before shifting focus to next week's second Rugby Championship clash with the Boks in Cape Town. The coach was unsure how serious the injuries to Wilson and Pietsch were. "Pietsch, obviously he did hurt his jaw. We're not sure to what degree at the moment," Schmidt said. "I'd love to think it's just bruising but we're going to have to get a little bit of a look at that in time. "And with Harry as well, he got a bit of a wobble on it but he's feeling a little bit more comfortable now. "So we live in hope."
7NEWS
11 hours ago
- Sport
- 7NEWS
Wallabies end 62-year drought with miraculous comeback win over Springboks
The Wallabies have pulled off a miraculous comeback to open the Rugby Championship in grand style with a famous 38-22 triumph over the world champion Springboks in South Africa. If this wasn't the Wallabies' greatest ever victory, it was certainly their most improbable after Joe Schmidt's revitalised outfit recovered from 22-0 down in Johannesburg. With skipper Harry Wilson, fellow back-rower Fraser McReight, fullback Tom Wright and veteran flyhalf James O'Connor starring, the Wallabies piled on four unanswered second-half tries to record Australia's first victory over the Springboks at altitude since 1963. The stirring success came at a cost, though, with Wilson escorted off with a possible ACL knee injury after touching down for his second try and winger Dylan Pietsch sustaining a suspected broken jaw. Minutes after crossing for Australia's opening try, Pietsch came off second best in a collision with Springboks captain Siya Kolisi. But the Wallabies are otherwise savouring a truly incredible win at Ellis Park. The two-time defending world champion Springboks looked set to consign Australia's last-up victory over the British and Irish Lions to a distant memory when they raced out to their 22-0 lead inside 18 minutes. Schmidt described the Wallabies' start as 'horrendous' and said relief was his over-riding emotion in the immediate aftermath to a pulsating encounter. 'I'm just blown away a little bit by the way they stayed in the game,' he said. 'Because at 22-0 down after 20 minutes, it would be easy to fall out of the game. 'I know how much it means to them. They're incredibly proud of the gold jersey that they wear and the bond that they're forming between themselves.' In a lightning start, winger Kurt-Lee Arendse bagged South Africa's opening try after just 94 seconds. Initially unable to cope with the home team's awesome skill and firepower, the Wallabies conceded a second when centre Andre Esterhuizen completed the slickest of raids in the 12th minute. Kolisi palmed off McReight at the back of a ruck to continue the better-than-a-point-a-minute scoring blitz with South Africa's third try before the Wallabies finally found their second wind. Pietsch put Australia on the board after 28 minutes when he finished off some nice lead-up work from O'Connor and centre Len Ikitau, who handled twice in the movement. Pietsch lasted only two more minutes before his head caught the shoulder of Kolisi while trying to stop South Africa's rampaging No.8. His side trailing 22-5 at the break, Schmidt felt the Wallabies could still win. 'We talked mostly about the second 20 (minutes),' he told Stan Sport. 'We won the second 5-0, and we said, 'Well, if we can win the second 5-0, we can win the next 5-0 and then we're in the game. 'And once we got into the game, I just felt that we grew in confidence.' Needing something special, Angus Bell delivered first for the Wallabies, the replacement prop's deft short putting Wilson over two minutes into the second half. Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii then intercepted a cut-out pass from Springboks flyhalf Manie Libbok to suddenly pull the score back to 22-19. Then the unthinkable happened. The Wallabies hit the lead for the first time when Wright broke free from inside his own half to put Wilson over for his second try to give the Wallabies a shock lead. Playing his first Test since 2022 and a record-breaking 17 years after debuting, O'Connor found Max Jorgensen with a beautiful left-to-right long ball before the winger did the rest in another magical long-range strike for Australia. Turning defence into scintillating attack, Wright sped 80 metres to score the game sealer with five minutes remaining, leaving South African fans silently shell-shocked. Schmidt said it was important for the Wallabies to celebrate the remarkable win before shifting focus to next week's second Rugby Championship clash with the Boks in Cape Town. The coach was unsure how serious the injuries to Wilson and Pietsch were. 'Pietsch, obviously he did hurt his jaw. We're not sure to what degree at the moment,' Schmidt said. 'I'd love to think it's just bruising but we're going to have to get a little bit of a look at that in time. 'And with Harry as well, he got a bit of a wobble on it but he's feeling a little bit more comfortable now. 'So we live in hope.'
Perth Now
14 hours ago
- Sport
- Perth Now
Wallabies pull off miracle comeback win over Springboks
The Wallabies have pulled off a miraculous comeback to open the Rugby Championship in grand style with a famous 38-22 triumph over the world champion Springboks in South Africa. If this wasn't the Wallabies' greatest ever victory, it was most certainly their most improbable after Joe Schmidt's revitalised outfit recovered from 22-0 down in Johannesburg. With skipper Harry Wilson, fullback Tom Wright and veteran flyhalf James O'Connor starring, the Wallabies piled on four unanswered second-half tries to record Australia's first victory over the Springboks at altitude since 1963. The stirring success came at a cost, though, with heroic No.8 Wilson escorted off with a knee injury after touching down for his second try and winger Dylan Pietsch sustaining a suspected broken jaw. Minutes after crossing for Australia's opening try, Pietsch came off second best in a collision with Springboks captain Siya Kolisi. But the Wallabies will otherwise savour a truly incredible win at Ellis Park. The two-time defending world champion Springboks looked set to consign Australia's last-up victory over the British and Irish Lions to a distant memory when they raced out to their 22-0 lead inside 18 minutes. Winger Kurt-Lee Arendse bagged the opening try after just 94 seconds. Unable to cope with the home team's awesome skill and firepower, the Wallabies conceded a second when centre Andre Esterhuizen completed the slickest of raids in the 12th minute. Kolisi palmed off Fraser McReight at the back of a ruck to continue the better-than-a-point-a-minute scoring blitz with South Africa's third try before the Wallabies finally found their second wind. Pietsch put Australia on the board after 28 minutes when he finished off some nice lead-up work from O'Connor and centre Len Ikitau, who handled twice in the movement. Pietsch lasted only two more minutes before his head caught the shoulder of Kolisi while trying to stop South Africa's rampaging No.8. Trailing 22-5 at the break, the Wallabies needed something special to conjure a famous victory. Angus Bell delivered first, the replacement prop's deft short putting skipper Harry Wilson over two minutes into the second half before Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii intercepted a cut-out pass from Springboks flyhalf Manie Libbok to pull the Wallabies within three points of the hosts. Then the unthinkable happened. The Wallabies hit the lead for the first time when Wright broke free from inside his own half to put Wilson over for his second try to give the Wallabies a shock lead. Playing his first Test since 2022 and some 17 years after debuting, O'Connor found Max Jorgensen with a beautiful left-to-right long ball before the winger did the rest in another magical long-range strike for Australia. Turning defence into scintillating attack, Wright sped 80 metres to score the game sealer with five minutes remaining, leaving South African fans silently shellshocked.
Powys County Times
02-08-2025
- Sport
- Powys County Times
Lions claim 2-1 series win despite losing final Test against Australia in Sydney
The British and Irish Lions' quest to complete an unbeaten tour of Australia failed at the final hurdle as Australia prevented a series whitewash by registering a stormy 22-12 victory in Sydney. Tries by wings Dylan Pietsch and Max Jorgensen and replacement scrum-half Tate McDermott inflicted the Lions' first defeat Down Under and they were conclusively outplayed in front of a 80,312 crowd at Accor Stadium. On a night when points were at a premium because of treacherous conditions, it was the Wallabies who kept the scoreboard ticking over while showing greater appetite for the fight with Nic White and Will Skelton the main agitators. Early in the second-half the game was paused because of lightening strikes in the area, forcing a delay of 37 minutes, and when play resumed Australia continued to squeeze the Lions out of contention. A ferocious contest took its toll on both sides, producing three failed HIAs and the departure of James Ryan after he was knocked out while making a tackle on Skelton. The Lions had already clinched the series following last Saturday's 29-26 victory in Melbourne, but this was not the climax to the tour they wanted having targeted the clean sweep needed to secure their place in the history books. From the moment wing Pietsch touched down after Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii's run had sucked in Tommy Freeman, Australia were in the driving seat. The Lions were unable to break through during a rare visit to the 22 with a thunderous hit by Pietsch leaving its mark on Freeman and even all-action flankers Tom Curry and Tadhg Beirne were swimming against the tide. Australia won a scrum penalty and then showed their appetite for confrontation during a lengthy skirmish instigated by Skelton. Finn Russell dropped a simple pass and the Lions' problems continued when captain Maro Itoje and wing Freeman failed HIAs, the second setback resulting in Owen Farrell's arrival off the bench. Tom Lynagh landed a penalty to extend the lead to eight points but Australia's fly-half became the third player to have his match ended by concussion following a tackle by Dan Sheehan. Sheehan had taken over the Lions captaincy and he was straight into the eye of the storm after Ryan's head connected with Skelton's knee, which ignited another flashpoint involving White and Farrell. Referee Nika Amashukeli warned both captains that the next clash would result in a yellow card and as Ryan was driven from the pitch, the players returned to the changing rooms for their own safety due to the adverse weather. When play resumed, Harry Wilson ran into a red wall and Curry forced a penalty in promising signs from the Lions that were quickly replaced by the hammer blow of leaking a second try. It took awareness, sharp reflexes and speed for Jorgensen to finish, but the chance was presented when a Lions attack broke down amid a mix-up between Bundee Aki and Sheehan. The tourists were off the mark when Jac Morgan crossed in the 61st minute after a series of pick and goes, but the Wales flanker was then penalised for a high tackle close to the line. Australia took the chance to pile on the pressure and, soon after Ronan Kelleher was shown a yellow card for offside, they went over through Tate McDermott from close range to guarantee the result before Will Stuart added a last-gasp consolation try for the Lions.
STV News
02-08-2025
- Sport
- STV News
Lions fail in bid for series whitewash as Australia win 22-12 in Sydney
The British and Irish Lions' quest to complete an unbeaten tour of Australia failed at the final hurdle as Australia prevented a series whitewash by registering a stormy 22-12 victory in Sydney. Tries by wings Dylan Pietsch and Max Jorgensen and replacement scrum-half Tate McDermott inflicted the Lions' first defeat Down Under and they were conclusively outplayed in front of a 80,312 crowd at Accor Stadium. On a night when points were at a premium because of treacherous conditions, it was the Wallabies who kept the scoreboard ticking over while showing greater appetite for the fight with Nic White and Will Skelton the main agitators. Early in the second-half the game was paused because of lightening strikes in the area, forcing a delay of 37 minutes, and when play resumed Australia continued to squeeze the Lions out of contention. A ferocious contest took its toll on both sides, producing three failed HIAs and the departure of James Ryan after he was knocked out while making a tackle on Skelton. The Lions had already clinched the series following last Saturday's 29-26 victory in Melbourne, but this was not the climax to the tour they wanted having targeted the clean sweep needed to secure their place in the history books. From the moment wing Pietsch touched down after Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii's run had sucked in Tommy Freeman, Australia were in the driving seat. The Lions were unable to break through during a rare visit to the 22 with a thunderous hit by Pietsch leaving its mark on Freeman and even all-action flankers Tom Curry and Tadhg Beirne were swimming against the tide. Australia won a scrum penalty and then showed their appetite for confrontation during a lengthy skirmish instigated by Skelton. Finn Russell dropped a simple pass and the Lions' problems continued when captain Maro Itoje and wing Freeman failed HIAs, the second setback resulting in Owen Farrell's arrival off the bench. Tom Lynagh landed a penalty to extend the lead to eight points but Australia's fly-half became the third player to have his match ended by concussion following a tackle by Dan Sheehan. Sheehan had taken over the Lions captaincy and he was straight into the eye of the storm after Ryan's head connected with Skelton's knee, which ignited another flashpoint involving White and Farrell. Referee Nika Amashukeli warned both captains that the next clash would result in a yellow card and as Ryan was driven from the pitch, the players returned to the changing rooms for their own safety due to the adverse weather. When play resumed, Harry Wilson ran into a red wall and Curry forced a penalty in promising signs from the Lions that were quickly replaced by the hammer blow of leaking a second try. It took awareness, sharp reflexes and speed for Jorgensen to finish, but the chance was presented when a Lions attack broke down amid a mix-up between Bundee Aki and Sheehan. The tourists were off the mark when Jac Morgan crossed in the 61st minute after a series of pick and goes, but the Wales flanker was then penalised for a high tackle close to the line. Australia took the chance to pile on the pressure and, soon after Ronan Kelleher was shown a yellow card for offside, they went over through Tate McDermott from close range to guarantee the result before Will Stuart added a last-gasp consolation try for the Lions. Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
