mens
international
The 1999 Rugby World Cup-winning Wallabies famously lifted the Webb Ellis Cup in Cardiff after conceding just one now-unthinkable try in the entire tournament, with the United States surprisingly the only team to deny them a complete shutout.
Back then, the mantra of defending championships was true, but not anymore. “I remember coaching the team Wales who went five games without conceding a single try, which is now impossible. It makes for a better game,” defensive coaching guru Shaun Edwards admitted earlier this year.
Even so, it is rare to score five tries and 38 points and still lose a Test match, especially for a team of the caliber of world champions South Africa. But that’s what happened at Optus Stadium in Perth on Sunday, with a much-changed Springboks slumping to a 42-38 defeat at the hands of the Wallabies.
Only once before have the Springboks scored more points and not ended up winning the match, and there is only one other Test in which the Springboks have failed to score a try in defeat.
In Tri-Nations 2010 he finished South Africa 39-41 Australia in Bloefontein, the Springboks fell short despite 24 points from the boot of Morne Steyn, who converted all three of his side’s tries, as well as six penalties.
Meanwhile, in 1997 the Springboks scored five tries in a 55-35 loss to All black people in their Eden Park fortress.
Ruben Kruger, Gary Teichmann, Percy Montgomery, Joost van der Westhuizen and Pieter Rossouw crossed the whitewash in a match where Andre Venter was sent off.
Springboks – most points scored without a win:
1. 39 (39-41 vs. New Zealand, 2010)
2. 38 (38-42 in Australia, 2026)
3. 35 (35-55 v New Zealand, 1997)
4= 32 (32-34 in Japan, 2015)
4= 32 (32-35 vs. New Zealand, 1997)
6= 30 (30-32 v New Zealand, 2018)
6= 30 (30-30 against France, 2005)
