‘Blown away’: Wallabies stun Springboks with first Ellis Park win in 62 years

The Wallabies have ended their 62-year wait for a win at Ellis Park with an outstanding 22-38 comeback victory against South Africa.

While most of Australia slept, the Wallabies were forced to confront the nightmare of being three tries and 22-0 down after just 17 minutes in Johannesburg.

But what followed was a dream that Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt could barely comprehend. The Wallabies didn’t let the Springboks score a single point from there and fought back with six tries to beat the world champions comprehensively.

Interviewed after the game, Schmidt struggled to find the words to explain one of the Wallabies’ greatest Test victories and the comeback that had stunned Ellis Park to near silence.

“I get to see these guys working up close and I know how much it means to them, they’re incredibly proud of the gold jersey that they wear and the bond that they’re forming between themselves,” Schmidt said. “I’m just blown away a little bit by the way they stayed in the game because at 22-0 down after 20 minutes, it would be easy to fall out of a game.”

The odds were never in the Wallabies’ favour. They had a week to prepare for a fierce Springboks side at altitude and a venue they last won at in 1963. Due to injuries, Nic White came out of his short retirement for one last tour with the Wallabies in South Africa to start at half-back.

Alongside him, 35-year-old James O’Connor started at five-eighth for the Wallabies, his first Test in three years, after averaging 22 minutes off the bench for the Crusaders. None of that mattered; both men played their roles in a heroic effort alongside teammates who simply refused to give up.

Ellis Park justifies its reputation as a brutally tough venue for opposition, not only for the thin air that leaves visiting players gasping for breath helplessly. The home crowd also revels in cheering every mistake from the opposition, and in the opening stages of the game, they had plenty of practice.

The Wallabies had no answer to South Africa’s aerial bombardment, with fullback Tom Wright completely misreading an early kick, leaving a platform for Springboks wing Kurt-Lee Arendse to dance through for his side’s first try in the first minute.

Ten minutes later, inside centre Andre Esterhuizen cruised through for a try after a surging run from his centre partner, Jesse Kriel, and brilliant support play from breakaway Pieter-Steph Du Toit.

Any hopes that the Springboks’ relatively light preparation ahead of the Rugby Championship against Georgia and Italy would leave them undercooked compared to the battle-hardened Wallabies fresh from the British and Irish Lions were brutally scrambled with a ruthless early display.

Captain Siya Kolisi, in his unfamiliar position of No.8, powered over from close range, brushing effortlessly past Fraser McReight’s tackle attempt to make the score 22-0 after just 18 minutes. Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii’s stunned and bloodied face covered in sweat told the story of his team when words could not.

The Wallabies’ physical power from Will Skelton, Tom Hooper and Taniela Tupou that was so impressive in the third Test against the Lions appeared blunted by a South African team with rapid line speed and chop tackles.

At the toughest moments for the Wallabies under Schmidt, there are always players who continue to fight back. At inside centre, Len Ikitau was the spark Australia desperately needed.

Ikitau did brilliantly to find a rare attacking opportunity after an offload from James O’Connor to send in Dylan Pietsch for a try to briefly quell South Africa’s surging momentum just before half-time. With the score at 22-5, it appeared little more than a consolation prize. How little we knew.

The South African bomb squad has gained infamy for its ruthless power and efficiency off the bench. Angus Bell’s impact from his first brutal carry at the start of the second half after coming on as a replacement sent shockwaves through the Springboks defence.

Bell then released a beautifully timed pass to set Harry Wilson through an uncharacteristically wide gap in the South African defence to score his side’s second try.

Suaalii had endured a tough afternoon in Johannesburg, struggling in defence and starved of possession, but he made a brilliant read to intercept a long pass from South Africa five-eighth Manie Libbok and score under the posts. After O’Connor’s conversion, the lead was reduced to just three points with 20 minutes to go. It seemed barely believable – because it was.

Wright’s early nerves disappeared as he became the Wallabies’ main attacking threat alongside Max Jorgensen. The Brumbies fullback sprinted through the broken field with Wilson following him to score his second try to send the Wallabies into a lead. Wilson injured his knee in the act of scoring and was taken off.

It is easy to forget that Jorgensen is merely 20 years old given his position as one of the world’s best wingers. In defence, he was ruthless and brave, frequently chopping down the huge frame of Du Toit. In attack, he was tireless and his efforts were rewarded with a magical try after side-stepping Libbok to give the Wallabies a 10-point lead with 13 points left in the game, completely silencing the stunned Ellis Park crowd.

The Boks were on the attack late when they spilled the ball and Wright scooped it up and ran 60 metres downfield to score again, putting the game beyond reach and finally following the heroes of 1963 with the Wallabies’ second win ever at Ellis Park.

“We were awful”: Boks coach praises Wallabies as Schmidt talks up luck

Wallabies flanker Fraser McReight said the side had responded to a half-time rev-up from Schmidt and Laurie Fisher about winning contact in the collisions.

“It was a bit tricky out there. We responded really well to our leaders bringing us in together,” McReight said. “We just backed our game plan. We came in at half-time and had a great game plan.

“We were able to produce some great footy in that second half. Joe’s been big on fundamentals and not dying on our [knees]. We want to go out there and play an attacking style of football.”

Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus said his side was “really awful”.

“They beat us in most departments. We didn’t scrum them, they beat us in the lineouts and they bullied us at the breakdown after Siya Kolisi went off and Marco van Staden had to go off for an HIA,” Erasmus said.

“Tactically, we totally overplayed every time we thought something was on. I don’t think they tactically outsmarted us but they physically dominated us, and the interesting thing is that the longer the game went on, they were supposed to struggle but it just shows what Joe Schmidt is building there.”

Schmidt said the win was among the best in his career, but with another Test against the Boks in Cape Town next week, the coach also attempted to keep a lid on the hype post-game, repeatedly referencing the help of luck in the Wallabies’ win.

“Gee, the Springboks, when they get their game going, they are very, very hard to stop,” Schmidt said. “We probably got a little bit lucky, even when Andre [Esterhuizen] went down the left-hand touch a couple of times. One of the times, just a loose ball, and Tom Wright went 70 metres and scored at the other end.”

“So we were realistic about how we had to hang in there, but I’m really proud of the way we did hang in there.

“It was probably a mix of us [being good] and a little bit of inaccuracy from the Springboks because when they were accurate, you saw that first 20 minutes. I just saw wave after wave, and even that very first drive was impressive.”

Schmidt said Pietsch would have scans but had potentially fractured his jaw, and early signs from Wilson’s injury were promising. Rob Valetini could return next week.

Asked if he was expecting a backlash next week, Schmidt said: “I don’t even think it would be a backlash. That game is probably closer than the score dictates. We scored a couple of tries when they looked very dangerous and we got them on the break. [The try from] Joseph Suaalii is a good example. They actually had numbers on the edge and he intercepted and got away.

“As I mentioned earlier, Andre up the left-hand touch and then Tom Wright grabs it and ends up running 70 metres. So, the reality for us is we know we were under pressure and we know that pressure is coming.

“I’ve coached against the Boks with a few other international teams and come out second. Whether they’re favourites or not, they’re a heck of a team.”

News, results and expert analysis from the weekend of sport sent every Monday. Sign up for our Sport newsletter.