11-man Wallabies survive Springboks fightback to extend unbeaten run to six Tests

The Wallabies survived one of the most chaotic finales in recent Test rugby to defeat the Springboks 42-38 at Optus Stadium in Perth, clinging on with just 11 men on the field during a frantic closing period that saw four players yellow-carded in the final quarter.

Harry Wilson, Ryan Lonergan, Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii and Hunter Paisami were all sin-binned in quick succession, leaving Australia severely undermanned as South Africa mounted a comeback from 25 points down. Ox Nche’s try — South Africa’s third in rapid succession — made it a one-score game with time still remaining, before an obstruction penalty on the Springboks’ final attacking raid sealed the result in Australia’s favour.

Jeremy Williams stepped up as acting captain during the chaos, taking over the armband while the side navigated the crisis. “Problem solve on the run,” Williams said post-match. “Awesome to get the win, obviously. We’re down to 11 and the boys showed care and connection out there and we dug deep for each other and go away with the win.”

Williams had been influential throughout, stealing a lineout on South Africa’s throw during the second half and then providing calm leadership when it mattered most. Wilson, Lukhan Salakaia-Loto and Brandon Paenga-Amosa also delivered standout performances up front in what Williams described as “a really physical game.”

The Wallabies had entered the match needing a winning margin of more than 15 points to leapfrog England in the World Rugby rankings, and they were on course for that before the yellow-card storm hit. Jorgensen’s try had put Australia in command, but the final scoreline of 42-38 ultimately fell short of the required margin.

The result extends Australia’s unbeaten run to six Tests, with five of those victories coming under head coach Les Kiss. It is the first time the Wallabies have gone at least six games unbeaten since 2017, when Michael Cheika guided the side through a run of five wins and two draws.

Australia had also been forced into a late change before kick-off, with lineout caller Josh Canham ruled out due to a minor hamstring strain. Salakaia-Loto was promoted to the starting XV, with Lachlan Shaw added to the bench. Despite facing the experienced Eben Etzebeth and Franco Mostert — both starters in the 2023 Rugby World Cup Final — Salakaia-Loto and Williams more than held their own.

“You’ve just got to take every game as it comes,” Williams said. “I thought our game plan worked really well but that comes back to the work that we do during the week. I thought we did a good job of that tonight.”