South Africa kept its title hopes alive after bouncing back from defeat a week ago with fly-half Handre Pollard producing a masterly kicking performance in a 30-22 win over Australia in their Rugby Championship match at the Cape Town Stadium on Sunday morning.
Pollard shines as South Africa bounce back to beat Australia in Rugby Championship
South Africa 30-22 Australia
Springboks avenge shock loss to Wallabies
Handré Pollard put in a commanding performance at fly-half as a more pragmatic South Africa beat Australia in their second Rugby Championship Test in Cape Town to reignite the defence of their title.
Australia stunned the world champions 38-22 in their competition opener in Johannesburg last Saturday as the hosts tried to play an expansive gameplan with ball in hand and were picked off. This time round they turned it into an aerial contest, marshalled superbly by Pollard, who kicked 15 points to go with tries by the wing Canan Moodie, the No 8 Kwagga Smith and the lock Eben Etzebeth.
Continue reading...Corey Toole given debut as Wallabies try for back-to-back wins against Springboks
Winger starts as Australia bid for historic win in Cape Town
Rob Valetini and Tom Robertson also come in
Corey Toole will make his Test debut in one of three changes to the Wallabies starting side as they attempt to go back-to-back against the Springboks in South Africa for the first time since 1963.
The 25-year-old Paris Olympics sevens star will replace injured winger Dylan Pietsch for their Rugby Championship clash in Cape Town on Saturday night local time (Sunday 1.10am AEST).
Continue reading...Wallabies name 91st captain as fastest man in Aussie rugby to be unleashed on Springboks
Queensland Reds flanker Fraser McReight will become the Wallabies’ 91st captain this weekend, leading an Australian side in Cape Town that will include debutant winger Corey Toole.
‘Must rectify that’: Springboks coach announces overhaul after Wallabies epic win
South Africa have made 10 changes to their starting team for their second Rugby Championship match against Australia at the Cape Town Stadium on Saturday.
‘Not gonna lie’: O’Connor’s raw interview as ex-prodigy opens up over doubts, Wallabies miracle
Wallabies flyhalf James O’Connor has described Saturday’s comeback victory over South Africa in Johannesburg as one of the most satisfying wins of his 17-year international career.
Wallabies break South Africa’s aura of invincibility in win that asks: is Australian rugby back?
Joe Schmidt’s side turned a 22-point deficit into a first win at Ellis Park since 1963. If this is a redrafting of the story, then the sport will be better off
For 18 minutes, everything was going according to script. The double world champions were running riot at Ellis Park, stomping over the gain line with every carry, shrugging off tacklers and hammering anyone unlucky enough to be wearing a gold jersey.
Australia had touched the ball twice before Kurt-Lee Arendse scored the opening try; once when James O’Connor kicked off, then again when Tom Wright spilled a contestable kick. Twelve minutes later André Esterhuizen sliced through the right before Siya Kolisi bulldozed over under the posts. Manie Libbok kicked seven extra points to nudge the score to 22-0 in South Africa’s favour. We’d not yet reached the quarter mark of this one-sided contest.
Continue reading...‘We were really dogs***’: Springboks coach laments ‘really awful’ Wallabies loss
Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus has slammed South Africa’s “really awful” performance in the Rugby Championship opener against Australia, blaming poor game management after a brilliant opening quarter.
Wallabies produce epic 38-point turnaround to stun world champions in 62-year first
Captain and No 8 Harry Wilson scored two tries as Australia staged a remarkable comeback to stun South Africa 38-22 in the 2025 Rugby Championship opener in Johannesburg on Saturday.
Wilson double sparks remarkable Australia comeback win to stun South Africa
South Africa 22-38 Australia
Wallabies recover from 22-0 down to sink Springboks
Australia rallied from 22-0 down as Harry Wilson, their captain, scored two tries in a stunning 38-22 bonus-point victory over South Africa in their Rugby Championship opener on Saturday, the Wallabies’ first victory at Ellis Park in Johannesburg since 1963.
South Africa raced into a seemingly commanding lead through tries by the wing Kurt-Lee Arendse, the centre André Esterhuizen and the No 8 Siya Kolisi, but their achilles heel has been the breakdown and it was there that Australia began to take control.
Continue reading...South Africa 22-38 Australia: Rugby Championship Test – as it happened
A Harry Wilson double inspires an Australian comeback with 38 unanswered points from 0-22 down to win in Johannesburg for the first time since 1963 .
What a start for the Springboks! It started with Wright fumbling a Williams box kick and then it was all momentum. Just about every player was involved. Du Toit, Kolisi and more had strong carries until the cracks opened. Fassie joined from fullback to play the final pass to his left where Arendse had a simple run in. That move went several phases and 70 metres.
Libbok nails the conversion from the left.
Continue reading...Great blasts ‘clueless’ Wallabies coach as forgotten man handed recall for Springboks opener
Veteran fly-half James O’Connor has been recalled by Australia for a 2025 Rugby Championship opener against title-holders South Africa in Johannesburg on Saturday.
Wallabies recall veteran James O’Connor at No 10 for South Africa showdown
Return for 35-year-old after three-year absence
Blow as Ben Donaldson ruled out of Johannesburg clash
Veteran James O’Connor has been called on to take on the playmaking duties as the Wallabies seek to build on the impetus of their third Test win over the Lions with a rare victory in South Africa at the start of the Rugby Championship.
But a plan for the 35-year-old O’Connor, back in the green and gold after three years, to share the No 10 role has had to be shelved after Ben Donaldson went down injured in training on Thursday.
Continue reading...Injured Sevens star Charlotte Caslick replaced in Australia’s Women’s Rugby World Cup squad
Sevens queen Charlotte Caslick’s Women’s Rugby World Cup dream is over after she was replaced in the Wallaroos squad by Manu’a Moleka.
Star answers SOS in rapid retirement backflip as Wallabies make big call on O’Connor
Veteran scrumhalf Nic White’s international rugby retirement has been short-lived after answering an SOS to join an injury-hit Wallabies squad for the upcoming tour of South Africa after playmaker Jake Gordon was made unavailable.