Improved Wallabies lose Springbok sequel in the rain

After coaching over 100 Test matches, Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt had never seen anything like it. In 14 chaotic minutes, the Wallabies lost four frontrowers, farcically forcing them to field No.8 Harry Wilson as a makeshift loosehead prop.

The reshuffled Wallabies pack ultimately crumbled under sustained Springbok pressure, with three rolling maul tries coming in the second half to seal a 30-12 defeat on a sodden Perth field.

Captain Allan Alaalatoa failed his HIA after halftime and was joined off the field by loosehead prop Angus Bell who suffered from a cut near his eye.

The normally highly durable James Slipper came on to take the captain’s armband and Bell’s place, but was forced off after just eight minutes for an HIA after tackling Springbok prop Thomas du Toit.

Hooker Josh Nasser was then unable to continue due to cramping in his calves at 54 minutes into the match, which ultimately led to Wilson packing down in the front row for uncontested scrums against a bemused Springbok pack.

Centre Hunter Paisami was also forced to leave the field with a leg injury, leading to the long-awaited international debut of 19-year-old Max Jorgensen, who looked comfortable on the bigger stage and could have scored with an early touch of the ball.

Last week in Brisbane, Australia played narrowly and without adventure. Under heavy rain in Perth, they chose to take the Wallaby way, adding far more width to their game with the cross-field kick frequently employed, with mixed results.

Schmidt spoke of his side’s high-wire act that generally failed to execute, but still kept the Springbok defence guessing.

“We didn’t kind of die wondering, we chanced our arm a few times,” Schmidt said.“In pretty tough conditions because it was tough going to be able to carry (the ball) in these conditions, they actually turned a fair bit of ball over as well. And we survived, scrambled back and survived a couple of early threats as well, which, again, I was proud of the effort that was made.”

Optus Stadium is normally used for AFL, and even at the best of times, it is renowned for its slippery surface in parts of the field. Against the Springboks, the Wallabies screwed on their long studs and met their opponents head-on, frequently getting over the gain line with more bite in their carries.

Criticised for his performance in the first Test, Noah Lolesio responded emphatically: the playmaker was excellent in defence, in attack and with his kicking game.

Before the game, coach Joe Schmidt wanted his back line to take some pressure off his five-eighth, but Lolesio seemed to relish the extra responsibility in the difficult conditions in Perth, working seamlessly with his new halfback partner Nic White.

Hunter Paisami is brought down by the Springboks.Credit: AP

The Wallabies knew that they had to roll the dice against the Springboks, but at times they became reckless in heavy rain with a slippery ball.

The Springboks’ Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu coughed up the perfect chance of a run-in try after dropping a pass from Cheslin Kolbe, who gobbled up a lightly chipped kick from Koroibete.

The Wallabies then immediately gave their opponents a second chance for a try after centre Hunter Paisami inexplicably opted for a cross-field kick in his own half that was caught by winger Makazole Mapimpi.

Australia’s Harry Wilson, left, is grabbed by South Africa’s Marco van Staden.Credit: AP

Scrambling back, fullback Tom Wright somehow stripped the ball from the winger inches away from the line.

Paisami was unable to hang onto the ball at the breakdown, the Springboks quickly transitioned down the field, Mapimpi hit a perfectly weighted grubber kick for his fullback Aphelele Fassi to beat Kellaway in a foot race and score his side’s first try.

White’s inclusion at halfback was designed to keep the Springbok’s guessing at the fringes of the ruck, but the ever-dangerous Kolbe intercepted his pass, sprinted through and with the try line beckoning, dropped the sodden ball.

The Springboks made a strong start to the second half, with breakaway Marco van Staden stretching over for a try from a rolling maul from an attacking lineout.

Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus often uses the rugby pitch as a test laboratory for experiments, and he used Perth to test the extensive depth of his squad, making 10 changes to his winning team from last week in Brisbane.

The fact that Erasmus was able to call upon seven World Cup winners in his starting line-up and eight on the bench, highlighted the extreme disparities between squad depth of both teams.

It was one of the decorated bench players, hooker Malcolm Marx, who came on to score two tries from mauls, taking full advantage of the makeshift Wallabies front row.

Taniela Tupou is due to return for the upcoming Argentina Tests and will be greatly welcomed with relish.

Watch all the action from The Rugby Championship with every match streaming ad-free, live and on demand on Stan Sport.