Australia held on with 11 men on the pitch to defeat a second-string South Africa side 42-38 at Perth Stadium on Sunday, extending their unbeaten run to five games under new coach Les Kiss. The Wallabies built a commanding 25-point lead before a chaotic final ten minutes saw four yellow cards issued to the hosts, allowing the world champions to mount a fierce comeback that ultimately fell just short.
Wallabies Build Commanding Lead Before Late Collapse
Australia produced an energetic attacking display, scoring five tries against the back-to-back World Cup winners. Centre Len Ikitau scored a first-half double, while fly-half Ben Donaldson, number eight Harry Wilson, and winger Max Jorgensen also crossed the try line. Combined with 17 points from the boot of scrum-half Ryan Lonergan, the Wallabies surged to a 42-17 lead with 16 minutes remaining.
However, discipline deserting the hosts triggered a chaotic finish. Captain Harry Wilson was sent to the sin bin in the 68th minute, quickly followed by Lonergan, Joseph-Aukuso Sua’ali’i, and Hunter Paisami over a frantic nine-minute span. Down to just 11 players, Australia watched their 25-point margin evaporate as South Africa capitalized on the numerical advantage.
Springboks’ Late Surge Falls Short in Perth
South Africa coach Rassie Erasmus made 13 changes to his starting lineup following a gruelling 3-1 series victory over New Zealand, stacking his bench with first-choice players as an insurance policy. The strategy nearly paid dividends as the visitors exploited Australia’s depleted defensive line in the dying minutes.
Hooker Johan Grobbelaar opened the scoring with a rolling maul try in the first half, while winger Edwill van der Merwe, replacement scrum-half Morne van den Berg, and prop Ox Nche added tries alongside a penalty try. Despite cutting the deficit to four points at the final whistle, time expired before the Springboks could complete the comeback.
“I’m so proud of the group,” Wallabies captain Harry Wilson said after the match. “We versed the world champions in our own backyard here. Jeez, that was a crazy last 10 minutes, but that first 70 minutes, the way we played, we implemented our game plan in exactly the way we wanted.”
Match Statistics and Team Lineups
The victory marks Australia’s best unbeaten run since 2017, setting up a confident side for back-to-back tests against the All Blacks in October. Springboks captain Andre Esterhuizen acknowledged the fast pace of the encounter after the final whistle.
“Australia is always a hard team to beat, and such a good game to play,” Esterhuizen said. “It was a pretty intense game and quite quick for a test match, but they capitalised on all our errors, and I think discipline let us down, especially in that first half.”
Australia Starting XV and Replacements
Forwards: Bell, Paenga-Amosa, Alaalatoa, Salakaia-Loto, Williams, Valetini, McReight, Harry Wilson (c).
Backs: Ryan Lonergan, Ben Donaldson, Max Jorgensen, Hunter Paisami, Len Ikitau, Tom Wright, Joseph-Aukuso Sua’ali’i.
Replacements: Pollard, Ross, Tupou, Shaw, Hooper, Tizzano, McDermott, Potter.
South Africa Starting XV and Replacements
Forwards: Wessels, Johan Grobbelaar, Porthen, Etzebeth, Mostert, De Villiers, Louw, Van Staden.
Backs: Fassi, Van der Merwe, Moodie, Esterhuizen, Hooker, Pollard, Jantjies.
Replacements: Marx, Nche, Louw, De Jager, Wiese, Van den Berg, Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Horn.