Key events
72 mins: McDermott has been busy since replacing White and he goes to work in midfield after Paisami hits the line at speed. The attack breaks down when Tupou gets ahead of Lolesio’s pass and knocks on.
71 mins: Off walks Marika Koroibete to the applause of coaches and teammates. What a performance. What a career. He is so important to the Wallabies.
70 mins: South Africa again make no ground with ball in hand so are forced to kick from deep. Hodge deals with it effectively and responds with a sharp counter. The Springboks look out of options defending slow ball on their own line.
68 mins: Australia are far more dynamic in attack, hitting the line hard through Samu and finding cute angles through Lolesio. The Wallabies force the Springboks into a kickable penalty, but this time they elect to find touch in the left corner. A decision they soon regret after making a meal of the lineout.
66 mins: South Africa need a miracle now, and they begin the process of finding one with a kick-off restart reclaim on the 22 on the right. They link the phases infield but without gaining territory, and the move fizzles out with an obstruction.
PENALTY! Australia 25-3 South Africa (Lolesio, 65)
Noah Lolesio extends the advantage. This is becoming a statement scoreboard.
63 mins: Australia feed the scrum on their attacking 22. From the first attacking play off the back there’s a penalty advantage for Jantjies not rolling away in contact. The Wallabies make a half-hearted shift to the left but are not disappointed when play is recalled for the shot at goal.
60 mins: Pollard’s day to forget is over. He takes a spell for the final 20 minutes. The carnage on-field continues though with Steyn making an absolute hash of an awkward bouncing clearing kick.
CONVERTED TRY! Australia 22-3 South Africa (McReight, 57)
Champagne rugby! The Wallabies are flying at Adelaide Oval! Another try – McReight’s second – and it comes from a perfectly executed training ground set-piece. From the restart Slipper shaped to go outside, instead he times his pass inside to Lolesio to perfection and the No 10 bursts through the line and into open space. He could go for the line instead but he has McReight for support and the communication is good enough to confirm the five points.
Make that seven – the easy conversion is dabbed over by Lolesio. The Wallabies have a scoreboard beyond their wildest dreams.
55 mins: South Africa continue to apply the pressure but they remain unable to find an opening. From a defensive scrum Australia clear to halfway and the Springboks get back into work in midfield with De Klerk busy at the breakdown. It’s uninspired stuff, the Wallabies are undaunted and eventually they pummel the hapless Pollard at first receiver, forcing the turnover, kicking immediately downfield, and again the visitors are forced into a line drop-out. Handré Pollard has not had a day to remember.
Adrian Moore (and others!) have emailed in: “You likely have 100 more comments along similar lines but on the “incredible try saving tackle”, that looks like no arms, yellow card and penalty try territory to me (and almost everyone who has responded to the @wallabies tweet).”
I considered the same on first view, but the TMO had a look at it, and with the view from behind Koroibete they determined he extended his arms to attempt to make a legal tackle. Did he get away with it? I’ll leave others to decide!
53 mins: It’s a solid scrum and De Klerk changes the point of attack from right to left but Mapimpi slips into contact and the drive stalls. De Klerk is busy trying to keep the phases alive but Australia’s line defence is stout. Eventually the Boks find a penalty advantage, De Klerk box kicks and play is recalled.
51 mins: South Africa are back to 15 players and they have a big half hour to rescue something at Adelaide Oval. Faf de Klerk will begin with a scrum feed after the Wallabies – who had the initial feed – were penalised for a technical infringement by the front row.
While all that is happening the benches are being cleared as the replacement forwards are given their minutes in the sun.
Lolesio misses the touchline conversion, just clipping the outside of the left post. However, Australia will be delighted to have made their man advantage count at the start of this second half.
TRY! Australia 15-3 South Africa (Koroibete, 48)
Lovely from the Wallabies expanding through the backs. From the scrum on the left near halfway White spins a long pass to Wright on the right touchline. He scampers down the flank before flicking a superb pass infield. The ball is recycled to the left and that man Marika Koroibete leaves Pollard for dead with a swivel of his hips then hammers to the line to score a marvellous second try for the Wallabies.
46 mins: From the restart Valetini hits the line hard but the set play off the back of it is well read by the South African defence who clatter White and think they have a loose ball to chase but it’s ruled a knock-on and the Wallabies escape.
45 mins: Australia win their own scrum feed with ease and off the back Lolesio kicks superbly deep in behind forcing South Africa to concede the line drop-out.
44 mins: That lineout is stolen by Vermeulen. Off one phase Pollard opts for the garryowen but it’s knocked on in the marking contest.
42 mins: A good kick chase by Paisami has Australia on the front foot early but Ikitau returns possession with a poor kick straight to Gelant. Neither side seems overly interested in taking the game on and after an exchange of ineffective kicks Australia will have a lineout on halfway.
Second-Half
We’re back into it at an Adelaide Oval that is now a patchwork of shadows.
In case you missed Marika Koroibete’s incredible try-saving tackle:
Half-time: Australia 10-3 South Africa
Australia’s rapid start has them ahead at the break, but South Africa will wonder how they only have three points after squandering 20-minutes worth of scoring opportunities. Big ten minutes coming up after the interval with the Wallabies set to enjoy a man advantage after withstanding immense pressure.
Yellow Card – South Africa (De Klerk, 40)
There’s a pause in play while the TMO reviews an incident behind an Australian scrum where White is clipped in the face by De Klerk trying to clip the ball out out of his opposite number’s hands. It’s the merest of touches but it is head-high contact, and the TMO calls for a yellow card!
38 mins: Another 5m lineout, another maul, but this time the Wallabies withstand the pressure. The ball comes free, De Klerk sees the opportunity and play shifts quickly from right to left. There’s an overlap. Try time, surely…. NO! WOW! What a tackle from Koroibete! That was extraordinary. Mapimpi was free in the left corner but as he dived to cross Koroibete flew like a Patriot missile to intercept and detonate the ball out of the winger’s hands. That was ballistic and breathtaking. Unbelievable escape for the Wallabies. How have South Africa not scored!?
37 mins: Another successful attacking 5m lineout, and this time the maul forms and the rumble takes shape. Fainga’a brings it down and is very very lucky to remain on the field. Australia are clinging on desperately.
36 mins: The lineout is solid but for the umpteenth time there’s no cohesion in midfield. Pollard has not had a great half. But yet again play is recalled for an Australian infringement. This time it’s McReight. The Wallabies will soon be lucky to have 14 men on the field with so many repeat penalties.
35 mins: Yet again the Springboks can’t take advantage and after the combination behind the scrum fails play returns to a penalty advantage and Pollard kicks to the right corner.
33 mins: The clearance to the right results in a neat lineout combination that sends the Wallabies away, but the follow-up is wanting and South Africa can counter – but they do not look at home expanding with ball in hand and du Toit throws away possession. Not to worry, Fainga’a is pinged for an errant lineout throw and we’re back packing down with the visiting team feeding an attacking scrum.
32 mins: But that period begins with a huge win! From the latest 5m scrum Australia resisted the early shove then ground their way to parity before earning their own clearing penalty. Massive for the Wallaby pack.
Yellow Card – Australia (Wright, 29)
30 mins: The second scrum follows the pattern of the first but this time Vermeulen uses it and de Klerk has a sniff. It’s all a bit scruffy and the Springboks get a tap penalty, keep the ball alive and shift it to the left where Nché bulldozes his way over the line – but he can’t touch down.
Play is then recalled to the tap where Tom Wright infringed egregiously enough to be yellow carded. South Africa loading up the pressure here. big 10 minutes before half-time for Australia.
29 mins: The Springboks shove hard in the scrum but just as a rumble threatens to build, their’s too much rotation and they’re forced to reset.
27 mins: A scruffy couple of minutes from both sets of players ends with South Africa kicking a penalty near halfway to the left corner. The Springboks are beginning to succeed from their tactic of aerial bombs dropping just in front of Australia’s back three looking up into the sun. The lineout is secured, South Africa build, and Slipper is penalised. The Springboks kick for another 5m lineout – but they are denied by a superb intervention from the giant Arnold, swatting the throw away behind his own try-line. There’s a scramble to secure the loose ball but it’s touched down by a gold jersey. 5m scrum to South Africa. This is suffocating pressure.
PENALTY! Australia 10-3 South Africa (Pollard, 24)
This time he makes no mistake, from bang in front, 30m out. The Springboks are finally on the famous old scoreboard.
23 mins: It’s all South Africa for the time being though and straight after the restart the Springboks get another shot at goal for obstruction.
