Springboks Stunned by Wallabies 42-38 in Perth Thriller

It was billed as the world champions opening their Rugby Championship campaign fresh off a series win over the All Blacks. Instead, the Springboks were made to survive an Australian avalanche, and ultimately fell just short — beaten 42-38 by a Wallabies side that led by as many as 25 points before somehow having to hold on with 11 men on the field at the death.

Rassie Erasmus had made 13 changes to his matchday side and handed the captaincy to centre Andre Esterhuizen for the first time — a heavily rotated Boks outfit that never quite got out of first gear early, and paid for it against a red-hot Wallabies team unbeaten under Les Kiss.

The Boks actually struck first. In the 9th minute, hooker Johan Grobbelaar forced his way over from a rolling maul to open the scoring. But Australia responded with real venom — centre Len Ikitau crossed twice inside three first-half minutes, tearing the Boks' midfield defence apart both times.

South Africa hit back through wing Edwill van der Merwe in the 29th minute to stay in touch, but Australia had the last word of the half — flyhalf Ben Donaldson diving over right on the stroke of the break to send the hosts in front 24-17 at half-time. A high-scoring, error-strewn half, but one the Wallabies clearly shaded.

If the Boks hoped for a response after the break, they got the opposite. Les Kiss's men blew the game wide open — captain Harry Wilson bundled over in the 59th minute, and winger Max Jorgensen finished off a dazzling move four minutes later to stretch the lead out to 42-17. At that point, this looked like it might turn into a rout.

Instead, the match descended into chaos — almost all of it self-inflicted by Australia. Wilson himself was shown a yellow card for a high tackle on Malcolm Marx, referee Andrea Piardi taking his time on review before confirming the card. Moments later, with the Boks marching them backwards, the Wallabies were penalised again at the scrum — penalty try to South Africa, and Ryan Lonergan sin-binned for offside. Just like that, Australia were down to 13 men and the score read 42-24.

South Africa smelled blood. Scrumhalf Morne van den Berg forced his way over from the back of another dominant scrum, converted, to make it 42-31. Then Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii was sin-binned for a professional foul that denied van der Merwe a certain try in the corner — Australia down to 12. For a few extraordinary minutes, a home side that had led by 25 points was hanging on with both hands.

Australia caught one enormous break: fullback Tom Wright intercepted an Esterhuizen pass and sprinted the length of the field for what looked like the clinching score — only for the TMO to rule it out after spotting a dangerous tackle earlier in the passage from Hunter Paisami on Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu. Paisami joined his teammates in the bin, and Australia were down to 11 players defending a slender lead with the clock running down.

The Wallabies somehow held firm. With two minutes left, brilliant scrambling defence kept the Boks out on their own line. But South Africa weren't finished — with 20 seconds remaining, prop Ox Nche forced his way over, Feinberg-Mngomezulu converted, and suddenly it was 42-38. The Boks even had one more attacking phase after the final siren, but were penalised for obstruction, allowing Australia to boot the ball into touch and end it. Wilson's card had expired by then, restoring Australia to 12 men for the anti-climactic finish to an extraordinary match.

A brutal way to open a Rugby Championship campaign, and one that will sting given how comfortably Australia were in control for long stretches. But there's a silver lining buried in the chaos: a heavily changed Springbok side, playing under a first-time captain, still found four tries and the character to reduce the home side to 11 men in the closing quarter. Erasmus will have plenty of honest conversations this week — but precious little time to have them, with a settled Wallabies side already building real momentum of their own.