Bok honour restored

Both coaches predicted that the bench would have a huge influence on the outcome of this match and they were spot on, with the Springbok reserves making a huge impact after a heroic defensive effort by Australia.

Flank Schalk Burger and flyhalf Pat Lambie were massively influential after they joined the fray midway through the second half with the former a dynamo of energy and Lambie the master of cool in this white-hot, brutal match.

Australia led after 70 minutes but 10 minutes later they had been smashed - though the final score doesn't reflect how close the contest was.

Two tries for Jean de Villiers and one for Lambie in the final eight minutes were a direct result of Springbok pressure that forced the Wallabies to defend for massive swathes of the match.

Lambie's 71st-minute drop-goal to give the Boks the lead for the first time since the 26th minute, slotted after 28 phases, appeared to be a moral victory for the Australian defence. But the effort had taken its toll and from the restart centre Jan Serfontein broke the Wallaby line and three phases later De Villiers was in for a try that finally broke Australia.

The two tries that followed earned the Boks a bonus point, but the Rugby Championship is probably gone for this year. The memories of yesterday's win will last a lifetime.

"Our plan was to keep them under pressure for 60-70 minutes and to strike in the final 10," De Villiers said. "That's how it worked out."

Seldom has the ball been in play longer than it was in this match with the Springboks living up to their promise of playing positively. Australia were forced to make 288 tackles as the Boks took the ball through a total of 275 phases.

The home team started by taking the ball through 17 phases in the opening four minutes and ended the first half by taking it through 19 phases.

Australia's defence was superb, coming hard off the line and cutting off the Boks' attempts to throw the final pass wide, while individually they hardly slipped off a tackle.

Such was the pace of the game there was only one scrum and a lineout in the opening 10 minutes, but for all the Boks' huff and puff it was the Wallabies who had the first attempt at points through a failed Bernard Foley penalty attempt.

Three minutes later the Boks spurned a kickable penalty and opted to kick the corner where Marcell Coetzee smashed over for a try. It justified the decision, though a later ploy failed when Coetzee lost the ball close to the line.

Australia grew in confidence when Foley scored from a penalty in the 25th minute and the momentum shifted the way of the visitors.

From the restart centre Tevita Kuridrani, who had a massive game, burst through the double tackle of Bryan Habana and Handre Pollard that freed Adam Ashley-Cooper to race 40m for a try.

Australia are still winless in Cape Town since 1992, with the Boks claiming a seventh successive win over the Wallabies under Table Mountain.

SCORERS

South Africa 28 - Tries: Marcell Coetzee, Jean Villiers (2), Pat Lambie. Conversion: Lambie. Penalty: Handre Pollard. Drop- goal: Lambie.

Australia 10 - Try:Adam Ashley-Cooper. Conversion: Bernard Foley. Penalty: Foley.

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