The Springboks beat the Wallabies 25-32 at the Subiaco Oval, Perth in their first TriNations match away from home and picked up an important bonus point which almost puts the TriNations title in their hands.
Bryan Habana (pictured) scored two tries and his second which came in the second half secured the bonus point for the Springboks.
The Springboks started the match at a pace that the Wallabies were not able to handle. Fourie du Preez scored the first try after taking a quick tap penalty in the fourth minute.
Five minutes later the Springboks won a scrum and passed the ball out to Jaque Fourie who sliced through the Wallabies defence to score the visitor's second try. Bryan Habana scored the next two tries.
While the Springboks got the bonus point for scoring four tries the Wallabies picked up a bonus point for finishing within 7 points of the Springboks.
After trailing 6-22 at half time the Wallabies came out after the break to score the first try as Matt Giteau dived over under the posts.
The Wallabies continued to apply pressure on the Springboks in the second half but every time they got close to the try line they would knock on or the Springboks turned the ball over.
Matt Giteau scored his second try with six minutes remaining but took the conversion too quickly and missed.
In the final minute the Wallabies got their third try as Lachie Turner scored but it was too little too late.
Giteau ended with 20 points from two tries, two conversions and two penalties, but missed two penalty goal attempts and a quickly taken conversion. The South Africans lead the Tri-Nations competition with 17 points from four wins, including two at home against the All Blacks and home-and-away wins over the Wallabies.
The All Blacks have eight points from two wins and Australia is out of contention with just three points from four losses.
That means the World Cup champion South Africans will win the Tri-Nations unless they lose their last two matches without picking up a bonus point and New Zealand has two bonus-point victories.
South Africa plays Australia at Brisbane next Saturday and New Zealand at Hamilton the following week.
Springboks coach Peter De Villiers was impressed with his lineup, which worked with a minority of possession, struggled in the scrum and conceded 15 penalties to just four from Australia.
"Look at the character they showed," said De Villiers, who has 10 wins from his last 11 tests as coach.
"A few calls didn't go their way. We were at sixes and sevens in the scrums. They had the character to stand up as a team, and to play with the scraps that we got."
The South Africans got plenty of chances to counterattack from a mistaken-ridden Wallabies lineup which allowed 21 turnovers and made 13 handling errors.
The Australians had the bulk of possession but had no penetration in attack in the first half and were punished by the offensive tackling from the more aggressive Springboks.
The Wallabies also lacked cohesion.
Giteau was getting slow service from Luke Burgess from phase ball and set pieces and struggling for combination with inside center Adam Ashley-Cooper, who was playing his third different position in three tests to cover for injured midfield regulars Stirling Mortlock and Berrick Barnes.
Their lack of combination led directly to South Africa's second try, when center Jaque Fourie strolled through a yawning midfield gap in the 10th minute and onto a short ball from Morne Steyn to touch down beside the posts and make it 10-0.
South Africa's third try came directly from an Australian handling error in the 33rd minute, when winger Turner fumbled in an aerial contest for a high ball with Jean DeVilliers and Habana seized on the rebound with little defense to beat.
The Australians looked most dangerous when Quade Cooper went on at flyhalf and allowed Giteau to move one place wider to inside center.
Giteau, who beat four defenders after a quick tap in the 43rd minute for his first try, earned a second in the 75th when he straightened the angle of attack after Cooper dragged three defenders across field and gave him an inside ball.
The Australians have now lost six straight Tri-Nations matches dating back to last August, putting extra pressure on coach Robbie Deans to make changes.
Deans said the Australians showed courage to come back.
"The boys showed at the death, we're not far away. We'll keep going," he said.
"The good thing is, I guess, they're one score away."
"When you get into this context, it would be easy to take the soft option and go belly up."
"(But) there's a lot of pride in this group."
"You'll see that next week."
Final Score Australia 25 South Africa 32
Scorers
Australia
Tries - Matt Giteau 2, Lachie Turner
Pen - Matt Giteau 2
Con - Matt Giteau 2
Drop -
South Africa
Tries - F. Du Preez, J Fourie, Habana 2
Pen - Morne Steyn 2
Con - Morne Steyn 3
Drop -
Match Officials
Referee: Bryce Lawrence (New Zealand)
Assistant referees: Chris Pollock (New Zealand), Vinny Munro (New Zealand)
TMO: Keith Brown (New Zealand)
Assessor: Steve Hilditch (Ireland)
Teams
Australia:
James O'Connor, Lachie Turner, Ryan Cross, Adam Ashley-Cooper, Peter Hynes, Matt Giteau, Luke Burgess; Richard Brown, George Smith (captain), Rocky Elsom, Mark Chisholm, James Horwill, Ben Alexander, Stephen Moore, Benn Robinson.
Reserves: Tatafu Polota-Nau, Al Baxter, Dean Mumm, David Pocock, Will Genia, Quade Cooper, Drew Mitchell.
South Africa:
Ruan Pienaar, J.P. Pietersen, Jaque Fourie, Jean de Villiers, Bryan Habana, Morne Steyn, Fourie du Preez; Pierre Spies, Juan Smith, Heinrich Brussow, Victor Matfield, Bakkies Botha, John Smit (captain), Bismarck du Plessis, Tendai Mtawarira.
Reserves: Chiliboy Ralepelle, Jannie du Plessis, Andries Bekker, Schalk Burger, Ricky Januarie, Adi Jacobs, Frans Steyn.
.jpg)
