It was a wild finish in Perth as the Wallabies held on with 11 men to beat the Springboks 42-38 and reclaim the Nelson Mandela Plate.
In 68 minutes the unbeaten Less Kiss side had built a 42-17 lead that looked safe before a disastrous final quarter brought four yellow cards.
With the Springboks playing 11, they managed three converted tries to come within one game of a miraculous comeback, but ran out the clock.
Here are the four tries after the Wallabies’ win.
The Wallabies have discovered a world-class No.9 in Lonergan
The 28-year-old half-back only made his test debut against the team last year All black peopledespite being in the 2023 Wallabies squad.
This was a masterful performance in all aspects from Lonergan, who kicked 100 per cent from the tee to the final conversion, pulling in a total of 17 points.
Having a clutch is a luxury the Wallabies haven’t had in a while. Carter Gordon can’t handle the goal when healthy, and Ben Donaldson has a bad record, missing two tough ones against Ireland earlier in July.
He executed his shots perfectly from the box, whether he was coming out of too much touch with long gains or keeping the ball in play down tight short sides. The precision of Lonergan’s aerial play gave the Wallabies a control they don’t usually get from their halves.
This proved crucial in winning the aerial battle against South Africa, with Max Jorgensen returning multiple possessions. Combined with Suaalii at the other end, the Wallabies won the aerial game.
It was a Lonergan kick from the box that led to Len Ikitua’s second try, exposing Aphelele Fassi one-on-one with Suaalii in the air. The rebound was caught directly by Ikitau who went 20 meters untouched.
Lonergan made smart plays for most of the game until he tried to prevent a try with the Boks pushing the scrum across. But even he could not have predicted that after that he would lose two more players due to yellow cards.
He read one scrum play beautifully chasing the turn South Africa and his pressure on Pollard sparked a quick pass that led to a turnover in the first phase.
Lonergan has given the Wallabies control and management of the game, while their other nines, such as Jake Gordon and Tate McDermott, offer a high side and lackluster attacking game. A disastrous execution can often hurt the Wallabies.
Lonergan played the perfect hand needed to beat the Boks, his yellow card held up.
The Wallabies pack is hugely underrated
The Wallabies forward pack often don’t get the credit they deserve, but they’ve earned it now. The test was to be when the Boks reserves entered the front row, and while they were two tries from the run, they excelled in a number of areas.
In 68 minutes, they defeated the Bok forward pack. The forwards broke down the front door and that led to multiple tries using their power play.
In the first half, a well-executed switch maul saw Hunter Paisami straight to the line to the 1. From there, the power carriers pounded the defense before a smart handoff to Len Ikitau by lock Lukhan Salakaia-Lotto gave the Wallabies seven points.
A similar power play in the second half ended with Harry Wilson reaching the ball over the pile and scoring a critical try to go up 37-17.
The scrum was solid before the introduction of the Bok bench, with Jeremy Williams pinching multiple lines as they held off South Africa’s hurlers.
The Wallabies’ own line-up was mostly exceptional, with some problems once the reserves came on which they quickly rectified.
Openside flanker Fraser McReight finished with three turnovers in another heroic display. The world’s best poacher has made it big.
Joseph Suaalii is the center
Suaalii wore the number 11 jersey for the first time and although there were benefits from it, namely in the aerial game, but there were signs that this was a dangerous experiment to continue in the long term.
When center Canan Moodie split the defense in the first half after a poor Ikitau clearance off the line, the two-on-two situation was not well covered as Suaalii was unable to slot in Edwill van der Merwe.
He didn’t have the top speed needed on the outside and seemed to underestimate how much time he had. It’s a risk the Wallabies are taking, but for certain games, the pick could be used sparingly. The trade-off for aerial dominance is defensive speed.
Suaalii played as an extra midfielder, and you could see that skill when he dropped an endless pass to bring Ben Donaldson into the corner. He was not permanently stationed in the wing.
Overall, the role worked well in this game, with Suaalii extremely unlucky to be booked late in the game when replays showed he was offside.
Len Ikitau who we know is a proper 13. Suaalii is yet to play a game in the number 12 jersey but it should be a combination of Wallabies trials.
Having a massive body like Suaalii at 12 to play against South Africa and France can set the Wallabies’ attack up for success.
The Boks have never been in this game
Make no mistake, this was a dominant victory for the Wallabies. The Springboks were never in this game and a 42-17 try from Max Jorgensen left them 25 points behind.
Erasmus gambled on offloading his entire bench early in the second half to bolster his side, but it failed to have the desired effect. They stuck with Eben Etzebeth, who tried to leave ‘injured’ but was brought back into the game.
Delays in the game with TMO involvement that came via cell phone calls added plenty of drama.
The last 10 minutes of the game took close to 30 minutes to unravel, while Tom Wright’s late interception attempt with three minutes remaining was disallowed after another TMO involvement earlier in the series.
It added to the tension and it was closer than it ever should have been, but the reality is that South Africa were never in control of the game. They relied on a four-man advantage in a 10-minute period to steal victory from the clutches of defeat, but were unable to do so.
Yes, the Springboks fielded a new line-up with new starters, but that was necessary after fielding the same team four times in a row against the All Blacks.
We’re told there isn’t much of a difference between South Africa’s A and B sides, so this is as good a win as any. The Springboks bench was loaded and played against 11 men for almost 10 minutes and the Wallabies held on for a dramatic victory.
