Wallabies hold off Springboks fightback despite four late yellow cards

Australia beat the world champions South Africa 42–38 in a one-off Test in Perth on Sunday, finishing the match with 11 players after four yellow cards in the last 11 minutes.

Stuart Hodge reported for Sky Sports that the Italian referee, Andrea Piardi, showed four yellow cards in eight minutes. On several occasions he spoke to the television match official by mobile phone after the communication equipment failed, as the Springboks scored three tries to turn a 25-point deficit into a four-point one.

Harry Wilson was the first to go, sent to the sin bin in the 69th minute for a high tackle after a video review. Ryan Lonergan followed two minutes later for diving into the back of a ruck, and South Africa were awarded a penalty try for the professional foul.

Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii was next, ruled offside on review after a Springboks try had been disallowed. Hunter Paisami then went for a high tackle in the build-up to an interception try by Tom Wright, which was itself overturned. That score would have put Australia 47–31 clear in the 76th minute.

Instead, the Wallabies were left with 11 men defending an 11-point lead with four minutes to survive. Replacement prop Ox Nche scored in the last minute to cut the margin to four, and South Africa had time for one more attack before the clock ran out.

Wilson said afterwards that the final 10 minutes had been crazy, but that Australia had stuck to their game plan for the first 70 minutes and done exactly what they set out to do. The head coach, Les Kiss, who has now won all five of his Tests in charge, described the finish as bizarre.

He said his players had needed to hold their nerve and stay clear about what they wanted to do, but stressed that the first 60 minutes mattered most. In his view, the team had taken an important step forward by controlling the game and attacking bravely.

South Africa had started far better, with a converted try from Johan Grobbelaar and a Handre Pollard penalty putting them 10–3 ahead inside 10 minutes. The centre Len Ikitau turned the game in the hosts’ favour with tries in the 23rd and 27th minutes.

Edwill van der Merwe scored on the half-hour, but a Ben Donaldson try before the interval sent Australia in 24–17 ahead. Wilson added a fourth try for the Wallabies, and Max Jorgensen pounced on a Springboks error to run 60 metres in the 64th minute and make it 42–17. Lonergan finished with 17 points from four conversions and three penalties.

It was South Africa’s first Test since they won the Greatest Rivalry series against New Zealand 3–1. Rassie Erasmus made 13 changes to the side that beat the All Blacks 43–28 in Baltimore a fortnight ago, with only Eben Etzebeth and Ethan Hooker keeping their places.

The Springboks captain, Andre Esterhuizen, said discipline had let his side down, especially in the first half. He said South Africa had allowed Australia in too many times and that it had hurt them badly.