South Africa vs Australia LIVE: Rugby Championship result and reaction as Springboks thrash Wallabies
Australia seek a first win at Loftus Versfeld as Eddie Jones begins his second stint in charge of the Wallabies
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Your support makes all the difference.South Africa put Australia to the sword as Eddie Jones’s second stint in charge of the Wallabies got off to a disastrous start.
Kurt-Lee Arendse’s hat-trick powered the Springboks to a seven-try 43-12 victory in Pretoria as the hosts flexed their strength.
Jacques Nienaber had named a side short of several regular first-choice stars for the Rugby Championship opener, but it mattered not as Australia were blown away.
Showing early attacking ambition and then taking full control with their power game, South Africa produced a statement performance in their first fixture of this World Cup year.
Australia twice had players sent to the sin bin after conceding penalty tries, Dave Porecki shown a yellow card after hauling down a ball before Suliasi Vunivalu’s deliberate knock on denied Arendse a walk-in fourth score.
It leaves Jones with plenty of thinking to do as Australia prepare to host Argentina in Sydney next weekend.
Argentina welcome New Zealand to Mendoza later on Saturday in round one’s other fixture.
Follow all the live updates from the Rugby Championship below:
South Africa 10-5 Australia, 20 minutes
Referee Ben O’Keeffe chats with a perplexed Frans Malherbe after the South Africa tighthead is called up for putting the weight on too early at a scrum-time entanglement. Malherbe gets it right next time, but the platform is stable for Australia. Nic White finds the corner with an intelligently placed grubber.
South Africa 10-5 Australia, 21 minutes
Not Manie Libbok’s best clearing kick, a snap hook hacked almost into his hooker’s head to grant Australia attacking ball 15 metres out from the Springboks try line.
South Africa 10-5 Australia, 23 minutes
Loose from the Wallabies, trying to get their power runners into the game but failing to make significant dents. Marika Koroibete steps in at scrum-half on a couple of occasions but releases a horribly wobbly pass that Allan Ala’alatoa has little hope of corraling. Manie Libbok makes a better job of his clearance this time, tonking up towards the Australia 22 to flip the field.
South Africa 10-5 Australia, 24 minutes
Michael Hooper shows all of his experience, crabbing to stay with a weaving Canan Moodie and then bouncing up to his feet quickly to contest. He’s perhaps a little lucky that Ben O’Keeffe deems his release clear, Hooper’s hands always seemingly on the tackled player’s body, but there’s no doubt about the cleanliness of his snaffle, and South Africa are pinged for failing to vacate the resulting breakdown.
Missed penalty! South Africa 10-5 Australia, 26 minutes
The penalty is very much within kicking range for Reece Hodge, particularly at altitude, but his effort from the tee starts, and stays, off line. Tugged to the left.
South Africa 10-5 Australia, 28 minutes
Rob Valetini comes charging towards the South African chasers as he launches into a locomotive-like hurtle after collecting a goalline dropout. Australia’s inaccuracy continues, though, another errant pass causing a fumble.
South Africa 10-5 Australia, 28 minutes
It is interesting that Reece Hodge is kicking for Australia ahead of Quade Cooper - Gareth Anscombe took the tee in Cooper’s appearance for the Barbarians at Twickenham in May, and you wonder if Cooper is not quite yet back fully in rhythm after that Achilles injury last year.
South Africa 10-5 Australia, 30 minutes
Australia are really struggling to handle South Africa’s attack. Andre Esterhuizen steps out of a tackle and then gets a bit of luck, the ball ricocheting back to him after he kicks into Australian legs. The Wallabies are fortunate that South Africa lose control at the base of a ruck - but you feel another Springboks score may be coming.
TRY! SOUTH AFRICA 17-5 Australia (Kurt-Lee Arendse try, 31 minutes)
Delightfully worked down the blindside and Kurt-Lee Arendse has a double!
It’s a nifty set-piece move from South Africa. They drag in the Australian forwards with a maul feint but Marco van Staden breaks back blind from the base, combining with a lurking Bongi Mbonambi. Mbonambi flips neatly over his shoulder for a galloping Arendse, who has the speed to sweep in up the left touchline.
Clever from the Springboks - but Australia’s defence was opened up rather easily. Manie Libbok adds two more.
South Africa 17-5 Australia, 33 minutes
An early substitution from Eddie Jones, never afraid of retrieving his crook. It feels harsh on debutant Tom Hooper, but Jones does have form with this sort of thing - Pete Samu replaces the flanker, who hadn’t had a great first half-hour.
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