Final thoughts
Hands up who saw that coming? Mine are firmly in my pocket. Massive decision at the end by the Wallabies to go for the corner after opting for the posts with the previous kick. Stephen Moore just mentioned he thought they had enough time to go back down and have another go. Hmm. We’ll give him the benefit of the doubt - it looked much more like learning from a mistake to me.
The Wallabies were by no means brilliant tonight but they hung in, never stopped asking questions of a resolute Boks defence, and came up with the goods right when it mattered. Thrilling stuff.
Full-time: TRY - Australia 24-20 South Africa
Peeeeep! Unbelievable! The Wallabies have done it. Somehow. The ref gives the try and the Springboks look broken. How did they let that one slip? They gifted the Wallabies not one but two chances at the death and paid for it. The conversion is the icing on the cake. Fantastic finish.
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80+1 mins: What a finish! Kuridrani gets over the line but did he get the ball down? There’s only one way to find out. Upstairs we go... nervous stuff. There’s a whisker in it either way.
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80 mins: The Wallabies piling on the pressure as they press towards the line. The crowd are on their feet. This is what it’s all about. One false move from either side now and that’s it.
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79 mins: Another penalty to the Wallabies... and this time they go for the corner. Excitement she wrote.
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77 mins: Oooo, debatable decision as the Wallabies get a penalty from 40m and decide to go for the posts. Giteau’s kick doesn’t have the legs and it’s as you were. That could be crucial.
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76 mins: The momentum has well and truly shifted behind the Wallabies. Do they have enough time to make it count though? We’re in for a tense finish either way. Folau with another brilliant take to put the crowd on their feet. More importantly, the hosts are back on the attack.
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TRY - Australia 17-20 South Africa
73 mins: Game on! The Wallabies get over the line this time through Hooper and Cooper boots the conversion. Seven minutes to go.
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72 mins: Another put-in for the Wallabies as the Boks collapse the scrum. Pressure mounting, but time is ticking.
71 mins: Ha, that looked fun for Hooper. Big pressure from the Wallabies scrum. As soon as the ball is released, Hooper pounces on Burger. He didn’t stand a chance. It’s a Wallabies scrum this time. Right on the line again.
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70 mins: Stephen Moore is not a happy man. Simmons looks like he’s about to squeeze over the line among a mess of players but the ref has spotted an infringement and it’s a Boks scrum on their own line.
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69 mins: The Wallabies battle away on the Boks’ 22m line. Folau goes to ground and it looks like more breakdown trouble for the hosts but the ref gives the penalty the other way. It’s booted into touch. Hunting for tries now.
67 mins: A Folau-inspired break rouses the Brisbane crowd. They’re 15m out but, yet again, lose it at the breakdown. It’s happened too often tonight. Combined with some poor kicking, they’ve been up against it since the first minute.
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64 mins: If this was Cooper’s chance back on the big stage, he might have just fluffed his lines. The relentless Springboks machine is grinding its way towards the finish line. Fifteen minutes to go.
61 mins: Euch. That was awful. Slightly to the left and 25m out... as soon as the ball leaves Cooper’s foot a great groan goes up from the crowd. It’s that far off target.
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60 mins: This time the Wallabies scrum wins a penalty. There’s a sight for sore eyes. Cooper with a chance to bring the gap down again.
57 mins: Giteau is held up and the Boks win a scrum about 25m from their own line. Twenty minutes for the Wallabies to conjure up something. They’ve not been disciplined enough to suggest they can though. Bit of rust maybe? Or am I just being generous?
55 mins: The Boks are penalised for not releasing the ball deep in Wallabies territory. Good work from Pocock, he’s done well since he came on. Another chance for the Wallabies to build some pressure.
Australia 10-20
54 mins: The simplest of kicks from Cooper and the Wallabies keep in touch. They’ll need a bit more than that though if they plan on turning this around.
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52 mins: The Wallabies are desperate to hit back but the Springboks are making them work for every inch they gain. If it’s a war of attrition, there’s only going to be one winner. A bit of respite as the Wallabies win a penalty between the posts.
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50 mins: The Wallabies seem helpless to stop a rolling maul and the Boks crawl up the field to safety. Easy metres.
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49 mins: Surprise, surprise the Wallabies scrum gives away a penalty and the pressure is relieved. The Boks are off the hook.
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48 mins: Oooo! Close for the Wallabies, but Kuridrani’s final ball is a smidge too slow and it bounces to safety. Temporarily at least. We’re still just 5m out from the Boks line and the visitors have a scrum.
47 mins: The Wallabies look to hit back right away. Pocock only came on about a minute ago but he immediately charges down a kick. The ball bounces and jags behind the Boks line and eventually the Wallabies are rewarded with a scrum. Big chance for the hosts.
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TRY - Australia 6-20 South Africa
44 mins: Kriel goes over to extend the visitors’ lead. Great try. A powerful, weaving run that had the Wallabies grasping at shadows. Poor defence from the Wallabies. Pollard makes the conversion and that gap is starting to look a little ominous.
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Second-half
40 mins: Peeeeeep! And we’re off again. A lot of scrapping around the midway mark, Wallabies with the ball but struggling to do much with it except run at a green wall. They do it for about a minute, making very little headway, until they finally give away a penalty. Big boot into touch and the Springboks ramp up the pressure early.
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Half-time: Australia 7-13 South Africa
Dear oh dear. Late, late, LATE, pressure on the line from the Boks comes to nothing - all sparked by some poor decision making - and a really, really poor blind pass - from the Wallabies. They just hold on though. I thought that half would never end. See you after the break.
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TRY - Australia 7-13 South Africa
38 mins: The Boks spring back immediately. A try from Etzebeth after a kick towards the corner is brilliantly knocked back in the air by Habana. It’s followed by the tightest of conversions by Pollard - in off the post. Textbook.
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37 mins: Will that rattle the Boks? Hooper with a big hit gets the crowd pumping but it’s the Boks back on the attack.
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TRY - Australia 7-6 South Africa
34 mins: Ashley-Cooper sneaks over the line! A smart pass back inside as the Wallabies ferry it wide momentarily confuses the Boks. It just buys Ashley-Cooper enough space to get to the line. Great stuff. Cooper makes the conversion.
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32 mins: Dear oh dear, the Wallabies lose the ball at the breakdown again. It doesn’t matter though because Le Roux is harried into a skewed kick that goes out about 10m from his line. Chance for the Wallabies to build pressure.
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30 mins: Boos from the crowd as South Africa get a contentious offiside decision just when the Wallabies were looking to apply some pressure. It’s not going the Wallabies way at the minute... although a penalty kick into touch gives them a chance to put some pressure on near the line.
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29 mins: Cooper with a chance to strike back with a penalty almost immediately and... he shanks it wide. Disappointing.
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Australia 0-6 South Africa
27 mins: An all-too familiar sight as the Wallabies scrum wheels backwards under intense pressure. The resulting penalty is booted over from distance by Pollard. It’s not exactly thrilling stuff from the Springboks but it’s damned effective and they’ve got their noses in front.
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24 mins: There really is no give in that Boks defence. The Wallabies need to be a bit faster and smarter to get close to the try line. So far they’ve had a handful of near-misses in terms of getting into space but nothing that’s come close to a try.
22 mins: That’s more like it. Folau with a great take and run to make inroads into the Boks’ half. Just when it looks like the Wallabies might break through on the left, the ball goes out for a line-out.
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20 mins: Plenty of passing and intent from the Wallabies but the Boks have been more than equal to it so far. It’s going to take a bit of invention from the Wallabies to get through, because physically speaking the Boks have all the characteristics of a concrete wall.
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17 mins: A big hit on Slipper from beefy Burger... but the ball falls kindly for the Wallabies and Higginbotham charges forward. His kick forward is too hard though, and it rolls out the back of the pitch. Slice of luck there and they didn’t make the most of it.
Speaking of luck, Matfield has come off with an injury. That’s a blow for the Boks.
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Australia 0-3 South Africa
15 mins: Penalty again to the Boks and this time it’s good. First blood to South Africa.
14 mins: The Wallabies win the scrum and get rid of the ball quickly. A wise move. Not so wise was Genia’s kick, which finds touch only about 30m out. Boks still pressing.
12 mins: The Boks right back in it on the Wallabies line. De Allende with the initial run, followed by Kriel on the other side. The hosts hold them out by the skin of their teeth. Pollard then takes his eye off the ball at the crucial moment and it bounces off his chest. The Wallabies can breathe again. Big scrum coming up 5m out. Wallaby feed.
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10 mins: The Wallabies just starting to get on top. Not much in it though. They need some sustained pressure to crack this defence. Imposing doesn’t begin to describe the Boks. Too many little mistakes from the hosts when they should be turning the screw.
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7 mins: First decent bit of running rugby as the Wallabies pour forward, shifting the ball from one flank to the other. The Boks hang on though and relieve the pressure with a kick after Skelton slips up.
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5 mins: The Wallabies go on the offensive, trying to keep the Boks in their own 22. First scrum of the evening, the hosts hold up well.
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4 mins: Skelton gives away a penalty about 25m out and Pollard lines it up. Hoof! It hits the post. Let off for the Wallabies.
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3 mins: Ooof! Kriel almost breaks through the Wallabies line and gets upended at pace for his trouble. Few more of them please. Both sides probing.
1 min: Peeeeep! And we’re off. The Boks kick it deep and Cooper replies, finding the halfway mark in response. Blam! A big hit gets the crowd pumping. Hooper on Burger. Nothing like a bone-shuddering tackle to set the tempo.
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It’s almost time. The anthems have been sung, the fireworks have been doused, and there’s a helicopter circling the stadium. And who’s that waving from it? It’s Bronwyn Bishop! Fair play to her. Despite all her troubles she’s turned out to support the Wallabies. Looks like she’s throwing big piles of taxpayer cash out of the side door too. Some sort of Brewster’s Millions deal going on.
Some world-class lip-synching from the South Africans for the anthem. Schalk Burger could teach Katy Perry a thing or two.
Nice to see Nick Cummins back doing what he does best - giving “True Blue” soundbites to reporters. Shame it was in the US where they have absolutely no idea what the Honey Badger is talking about. It’s all about the laughing gear.
If Michael Cheika really is just experimenting with the Cooper-Genia combo, he’s keeping a very straight face about it, as this article shows. If the Wallabies don’t win the World Cup, at least Cheika has a shot at the World Poker Series.
Pre-amble
And so it begins. Well actually it began last night with the All Blacks’ traditional spanking of Argentina. It’s all very familiar, very quickly. We’re just a Kurtley Beale scandal away from getting deja vu.
But enough about the mismatch across the Tasman, we’ve got bigger Boks to fry. The start of a new tournament is always fraught with questions. Will the Wallabies be undercooked? Overbaked? Rare? Medium? Well done? The steaks have definitely been raised for this year’s Rugby Championship. Or to give it its full title - “The Rugby Championship: World Cup Audition Edition”. Because that’s what everyone’s been talking about since Michael Cheika revealed his team selection.
Picking Hooper over Pocock was a slight curveball, but quicker than you can say “NSW favouritism”, the Wallabies coach goes with Cooper and Genia instead of Phipps and Foley. The theories behind that switch have been wild and varied, but personally I think it’s a pretty shrewd move. He already knows what to expect from the NSW pair, but this is a perfect chance to test Cooper’s big-game temperament against a top side who don’t wear “that” shade of black (the one that seems to spook him so much). Will Cooper and Genia still be there for the Bledisloe games? Not everyone is convinced, but surely a top-class performance today will force Cheika’s hand. We’ll find out soon enough.
Richard is the man charged with keeping you up to speed with proceedings in Brisbane tonight. He’ll be here shortly so in the meantime why not remind yourselves of the Wallabies’ starting lineup – Matt Giteau is back after a lengthy hiatus, while Quade Cooper and Will Genia will rekindle their partnership in the halves.
