South Africa pulled off a stunning 23-12 win against Australia in a Rugby Championship clash played at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday.
The Springboks out-scored the Wallabies by three tries to two but made heavy work of their victory before finishing strongly.
Winger Aphiwe Dyantyi and scrumhalf Faf de Klerk’s tries helped the home side take an early 14-0 lead but Reece Hodge and Willi Genia hit back for Australia before the half-time hooter.
One more penalty for Springboks within the first five minutes of the second half ended the contest.
At one point Springboks played one man down after French referee Jerome Garces lost his patience after a string of penalties and sin-binned Dyantyi.
But the Springboks survived the numerical setback to maintain an unbeaten record at the Port Elizabeth stadium with five victories and a draw.
Rassie Erasmus lauded his charges for the performance having refused to buckle under the intense pressure Australia applied on them in the better part of the second stanza.
“We didn’t play tactically well, but in the second half, the guts that the boys showed and the character we played with was great. Defense is not something you learn out of a book, it is something you learn on the job and that is something I am pleased we are getting right,” he said.
South Africa needed bonus point from the win to take the championship title which was scooped by New Zealand who beat Argentina 35-17 in Wellington.
In the last meeting between South Africa and Australia that happened on 8 September in Brisbane, Wallabies beat the Boks 23-18.
The Championship concludes next Saturday with South Africa facing New Zealand in Pretoria and Argentina hosting Australia in Salta.
SCORERS
South Africa – tries: Aphiwe Dyantyi, Faf de Klerk, Conversion: Handre Pollard (2).
Penalties: Pollard (3)
Australia – tries: Reece Hodge, Will Genia, Conversions: Matt Toomua
Teams:
South Africa
15 Willie le Roux, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Aphiwe Dyantyi, 10 Handre Pollard, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, Siya Kolisi (captain), 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Tendai Mtawarira
Substitutes: 16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Steven Kitshoff, 18 Wilco Louw, 19 RG Snyman, 20 Marco van Staden, 21 Embrose Papier, 22 Elton Jantjies, 23 Damian Willemse
Australia
15 Dane Haylett-Petty, 14 Israel Folau, 13 Reece Hodge, 12 Matt Toomua, 11 Marika Koroibete, 10 Kurtley Beale, 9 Will Genia, 8 David Pocock, 7 Michael Hooper (captain), 6 Ned Hanigan, 5 Izack Rodda, 4 Adam Coleman, 3 Taniela Tupou, 2 Folau Fainga’a, 1 Scott Sio
Substitutes: 16 Brandon Paenga-Amosa, 17 Sekope Kepu, 18 Allan Alaalatoa, 19 Rory Arnold, 20 Rob Simmons, 21 Nick Phipps, 22 Bernard Foley, 23 Jack Maddocks
