Springboks beat Wallabies in Tri-Nations
Sprinboks beat Wallabies in Tri-Nations
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Saturday, 09, Sep 2006 08:54
A scrappy final encounter of the Tri-Nations Cup saw South Africa overcome Australia 24-16.
Despite two wins in their final matches of the tournament, coach Jake White's side still finished bottom of the pile, two points behind Australia.
An ugly first half saw both sides score three points apiece, with successful penalty kicks from Stirling Mortlock and Andre Pretorius.
Four missed penalty attempts and a serise of aimless kicks in open play broke up the rhythm of the game, which had little flow for the opening 40 minutes.
Pretorious kicked the visitors into the lead after the restart, but the Australians capitalised on a turnover soon afterwards, as Stephen Larkham completed a good move to score the first try of the game, putting the Wallabies ahead.
But another penalty and a drop goal from 40 yards for Pretorious marked a turning point for the hosts, as they began to dictate the play.
Fourie du Preez forced the ball over the line for South Africa's first try, before Breyton Paulse sealed the victory to banish memories of the 49-0 hiding by Australia in July.
Wallabies coach John Connolly bemoaned the lack of cohesion in his team in an interview with the BBC after the game.
"We just didn't gel, we became anxious and we probably became a bit flat in the backs," he said. "We created enough opportunities, but we're really disappointed with our execution."
Commenting on the result, Jake White praised the resilience his players had shown and the fact that "everyone put their weight behind the effort".
"When you consider where this team was a month ago, to win two consecutive games, and today - against the most-capped backline in the history of the game - is amazing," the Springboks coach added.