'B-Boks' give Wallabies a scare
Brad Morgan
9 July 2007
Derided by the Australian media as the "B-Boks" in the run-up to their Tri-Nations test against Australia in Sydney on Saturday, the Springboks - minus about 20 players left at home for the away leg of the Tri-Nations - gave the Wallabies a scare, running up an early 17-0 lead before losing 25-17.
It was a courageous performance from an outfit that exerted heavy pressure on the Aussies early on before a lack of cohesion, likely brought on by a lack of experience of playing together, allowed the home team to claw its way back into the contest.
Missed opportunities
Australia ultimately went on to take victory in the final home test for veterans George Gregan and Stephen Larkham, but the Boks missed out on a few opportunities that could have made it a losing last outing for the pair.
Well led by Bob Skinstad, the big South African pack's pick-and-drive tactics forced the Australians onto the back foot in the early
going but, once they managed their first points of the contest in the second quarter of the game, the momentum swung and the Wallabies forced their way back into the game, and ultimately on to victory.
Wickus van Heerden was the star of the show for the Springboks with an industrious and powerful performance at flank, while, especially early on, Ruan Pienaar turned in another solid showing at scrumhalf.
Ill-discipline
Ill-discipline cost the Boks, though, as Gary Botha, who also excelled, and Johann Muller both spent time in the sin-bin.
SA coach Jake White said after the match, a rib injury to Skinstad, which has left the loose-forward in danger of missing out on the World Cup, justified his decision to keep many of the Springboks' frontline players out of the away leg of the Tri-Nations.
Skinstad and Johan Ackermann, who suffered a concussion after taking an elbow to the back of the head, are out of the reckoning for the Boks'
final match of the Tri-Nations against New Zealand.
Early try
South Africa was first on the board in Sydney, six minutes into the contest, after flyhalf Derick Hougaard missed a penalty shot at goal. The kick hit an upright and after Australia tried to run out of defence they conceded a scrum because of a forward pass. From the resulting scrum the Boks took the ball wide before retaining possession through six phases.
The ball was eventually cleared to Van Heerden who powered over the line from close in, driving low to the ground as four Wallaby defenders closed in on him.
Hougaard converted to put South Africa 7-0 in front.
Stunned
Only two minutes later, the Aussies and their supporters were stunned when the home team tried to move the ball wide from the kick off. Nathan Sharpe threw a long skip-out pass to his left and Boks' right wing Breyton Paulse snaffled it on the run to race through for an
intercept try.
A good conversion by Hougaard from the sideline left the Springboks with a healthy 14-0 lead.
After 11 minutes the Australians had a chance to open their account, but Julian Huxley was off target with a penalty shot at goal.
Three minutes later South Africa extended their lead further when Sharpe was penalised for lazy running and Hougaard kicked a penalty to make the score 17-0.
The flyhalf could have made it 20-0 after 17 minutes after George Smith was pinged for holding onto the ball on the ground. He mistimed his kick, however, as the gap remained the same.
Well-executed try
Australia finally got going just after the first quarter was up when they scored a well executed try from a line-out.
After Pedrie Wannenburg was penalised for a high tackle the Aussies kicked for touch near the South African tryline. Following a clean take at the lineout, they moved the ball smartly to the right and, with some
intelligent dummy running, opened up the way for Mark Gerrard, who took an inside pass from Stephen Larkham to slice his way through the South African defence.
A successful conversion by Stirling Mortlock made the score 17-7.
Australia swept back onto the attack, asking tough questions of the Springbok defenders, but Skinstad and his men held on, keeping the home side at bay. However, with three minutes to go to the break, Wannenburg was penalised for being offsides and Mortlock knocked over the easy penalty to pull the Wallabies within seven at the break, down 17-10.
Scores level
Two minutes into the second half, the Aussies leveled matters. After taking the ball wide from a lineout, they created an overlap on the left and Stephen Hoiles took advantage of it to force his way over after taking a gap.
Mortlock's successful conversion drew the Australians level, with the momentum and possession favouring the home side.
It
took another 10 minutes for the next change in score and when it did come, it went Australia's way. Skinstad was nailed for playing the ball on the ground and Mortlock punished the Bok captain by kicking a penalty to edge the Wallabies into a 20-17 lead.
Matters really turned against the Springboks two minutes later when Gary Botha was sin-binned for playing the ball on the ground. It didn't take long for the Aussies to take advantage of their one-man advantage.
Australian try
In the 55th minute Matt Giteau benefited from a neat chip by Gerrard, gathering his kick to score after South Africa's defence was stretched to breaking point before finally opening up.
Mortlock's conversion attempt was off line, but Australia's lead was extended to eight points at 25-17.
Australia continued to exert pressure on the Boks, but they appeared to lose some of the focus that had taken them into the lead and failed to convert a number of
opportunities that they created.
Hougaard had a chance to pull South Africa within a try of the Australian total when the Springboks were awarded a penalty after the Wallabies collapsed a driving maul. The flyhalf, who had a below-par game, was wide of the mark with his kick, however.
Lacking in ideas
The South Africans struggled manfully to get back into the game, but Australia's defence was well-organised and the South African backline lacking in ideas, which was a combination that served to maintain the gap between the two teams.
With five minutes to play, SA lost its second player to the sin-bin in the game as the touch judge reported Muller for punching, meaning South Africa would finish the match with 14 players.
Right on full time the Boks nearly broke through to score and earn a bonus point, but Bismarck du Plessis, with Paulse on his outside, knocked on in the tackle and shortly afterwards the final whistle
went.
As an exercise the match was a useful one for coach White to gauge which players would be good additions to his squad for the World Cup.
There was encouraging play at times during the game, but an inability to work their way out of their 22 metre area once under pressure would have been an aspect of the Springboks' play that would have concerned the coach.
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