HERMAN GIBBSCAPE TOWN, September 30 (ANA) – The Springboks had to settle for a 27-all draw against Australia after flyhalf Elton Jantjies fluffed a last-gasp penalty in their 2017 Rugby Championship Test on Saturday at the Free State Stadium, in Bloemfontein, after the visiting Wallabies had held a 13-10 halftime lead.
The result meant that it was the second draw in a row between the two sides who played to a 23-23 draw in Perth three weeks ago in their first 2017 Rugby Championship clash.
The Boks made some strong carries at the outset, and followed that up with a bout of crisp inter-passing which kept the Wallabies on the defence for all of six minutes. The Boks did well to look after the ball at breakdown play until poacher supreme Michael Hooper effected a turn-over for the Wallabies.
That was the cue for the Wallabies to reverse the flow of the game and they did so with telling effect, leading to a 11th minute try by fullback Israel Folau. The try-scoring move sprung from a set-scrum just outside the opposition’s 22m line, and left the Boks’ defence in tatters. Flyhalf Bernard Foley added the conversion (7-0).
The Boks enjoyed a let-off in the 16th minute when the Wallabies opted to kick a goalable penalty to touch, but Foley landed the ball in the in-goal area instead.
Moments later, the Boks found themselves in a similar situation at the other end of the field. This time the Boks worked the ball wide from a rolling maul before prop Ruan Dreyer dived over when the Wallabies’ central defence sprang a leak. Flyhalf Elton Jantjies’ conversion made for a 7-all scoreline.
At that stage, the Bok No 8 Uzair Cassiem suffered a rib injury and he was replaced by Jean-Luc du Preez.
Over the rest of the half, the team traded penalties to keep the scoreboard ticking over. Foley was on target with attempts in the 22nd and 34th minutes. Jantjies responded with another in the 25th minute, which left the Boks trailing by three points by the time the halftime break dawned (13-10).
Just before the break though, the game was held up for a short period as the players had to be held apart after a hair-pulling incident which threatened to break out into a free-for-all brawl. Folau sparked the brief fracas when he pulled Dillyn Leyds’ hair in a tackle attempt and Bok captain Eben Etzebeth retaliated. Referee Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand) refrained from dishing out yellow cards and awarded the Boks a penalty.
The crowd had hardly settled back in their seats for second-half play when the Boks ran in their second converted try through centre Jan Serfontein, after a fine line-break by flanker Siya Kolisi who had linked up with Leyds (17-13).
Three minutes later, the Wallabies responded in superb fashion when Foley caught the defence napping before sending the burly rightwing Marika Koroibete away for a converted try as the visitors regained the lead (20-17).
Another three minutes later, the lead changed hands yet again as the Boks swept downfield in emphatic fashion and leftwing Courtnall Skosan provided the finish before Jantjies added the extras to give his side a four-point lead (24-20).
Four minutes ahead of the hour mark, the Foley – Koroibete magic struck again and the Wallabies were back in the lead at 27-27. Foley flung out a huge skip pass to Koroibete who bounced off Bok scrumhalf Ross Cronje, as he steamrolled his way over at the corner flag. Foley nailed the conversion from the touchline to secure a three-point lead for his side.
In the 64th minute, Cronje turned hero for the Boks when he brought off a try-saving tackle on Wallaby centre Tevita Kuridrani, who was a mere metre away from the whitewash.
The Wallabies looked like they could be building on that advance, but a turn-over by Bok substitute prop Trevor Nyakane resulted in a penalty which Jantjies steered through the posts from just inside the opposition half, and scores were level-pegging at 27-all.
The Boks endured some anxious moments after Wallaby midfielder Kurtley Beale staged a strong break-out from deep inside his own half and the ball was relayed deep into Bok territory by the supporting players until a knock-on halted play 10 metres out, six minutes from the end.
Two minutes from the end, the Wallabies were penalised out breakdown play 15 metres from their tryline and Jantjies’ attempt went wide and with it a last-gasp effort to win the Test.
Scorers: SA 27 (10): Tries: Ruan Dreyer, Jan Serfontein, Courtnall Skosan. Conversions: Elton Jantjies (3). Penalties: Jantjies (2) Australia 27 (13): Tries: Israel Folau, Marika Koroibete (2). Conversions: Bernard Foley (3). Penalties: Foley (2). – African News Agency (ANA),
