Sports · updated 1h ago · 2 min read
Wallabies Hold Off Springboks 42-38 in Perth After Late Yellow Cards Reduce Australia to 11
Wallabies beat South Africa 42-38 in Perth despite playing with 11 men. Australia were reduced to 11 after four yellow cards late in the match.
12 outlets told this the same way.
6 of 8 outlets skipped it: match officials had communications problems and used a cell phone.
12outlets compared
Wallabies shock Springboks
Australia upset South Africa 42-38 in Perth, holding on after being reduced to 11 players in the late stages of the Rugby Championship test. The Wallabies built a 42-17 lead, with captain Harry Wilson and Len Ikitau among the try scorers, before a late collapse triggered a sequence of yellow cards. South Africa’s comeback gathered pace after a penalty try and further yellow cards to Ryan Lonergan, Joseph-Aukuso Sua’ali’i and Hunter Paisami reduced Australia to 11 men by the 76th.
“‘It was a crazy last 10 minutes,’ Wilson said.”
The match ended with Australia restricting the Springboks to one score by prop Ox Nché in the 80th, with time running out as the Wallabies defended their lead. Harry Wilson later said, “It was a crazy last 10 minutes,” while adding, “But that first 70 minutes ... we did exactly what we wanted.”
Yellow cards and disruption
The match officials’ communications and the match clock became part of the story as AP said there were “communication problems between the match officials who needed a cell phone on the field.” Andrea Piardi used a cellular phone to communicate with off-field officials during the test, and the late spell featured multiple yellow cards that swung momentum. South Africa coach Rassie Erasmus and first-time captain André Esterhuizen refused to blame the 13 changes, with Erasmus saying, “We rolled the dice a bit ... but it’s not an excuse.”
Esterhuizen argued that discipline was the key factor, telling reporters, “I don't think it was too disjointed, I think the discipline was the key factor that let us down.” The late surge also included a ruled-out try after a Tom Wright intercept, with the BBC describing that the try was ruled out and Hunter Paisami was shown a fourth yellow card for a dangerous tackle in the build-up.
Rankings and next steps
The result moved Australia in the World Rugby Rankings, with Cordoba XV saying the Wallabies earned two points and climbed to sixth. Cordoba XV also stated that England remained fifth with 85.68 points, just 0.13 points above Australia, now at 85.55, while South Africa stayed at the top with 93.09 points. France 24 said the Wallabies’ win came one year before the World Cup they host, and it placed Les Kiss’s unbeaten run at five matches since his arrival in July.
“We might meet them in a vital playoff game, and it was nice to get a taste of them tonight.”
The AFP report also tied the match’s late discipline to the outcome, noting four cards shown by Italian referee Andrea Piardi in just seven minutes to Wilson, Lonergan, Suaalii and Paisami. Erasmus framed the defeat as a lesson for Rugby World Cup defense, saying, “We might meet them in a vital playoff game, and it was nice to get a taste of them tonight.”