Springboks lose 42–38 to Wallabies after dramatic Perth comeback falls short

South Africa had led 10–3 and drawn level at 17–17 after half an hour. By the 63rd minute, though, Australia’s fifth try had opened a 25-point gap at Optus Stadium on Sunday, 27 September. The Boks then scored three late tries, including a penalty try, and needed one more score after Ox Nché crossed near the end.

Instead, Australia won a penalty from the restart and closed out the match. Both teams had scored five tries, but the Wallabies’ earlier lead proved too large to erase.

How Australia built a 25-point lead

Handré Pollard opened the scoring with a penalty, and Johan Grobbelaar finished a rolling maul to put the Boks 10–3 ahead. Australia’s Len Ikitau then scored twice in quick succession. Edwill van der Merwe replied for South Africa, but Ben Donaldson’s try gave the Wallabies a 24–17 lead at half-time.

Ryan Lonergan added two penalties after the break before captain Harry Wilson and wing Max Jorgensen crossed. Jorgensen’s try made it 42–17, leaving the Boks with less than 20 minutes to find a response.

The Wallabies turned Bok errors into points while South Africa struggled to regain control. Ikitau scored twice, with Donaldson, Wilson and Jorgensen adding a try each. It was a sharp reversal after the Boks’ series win over New Zealand. Rugby Australia’s match report has the full scoring sequence.

Four yellow cards gave the Boks a way back

The closing stages changed when Wilson was shown a yellow card for a high tackle. South Africa were then awarded a penalty try, with Lonergan also sent to the bin. Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii received a yellow card soon afterwards, and Morné van den Berg’s try cut the deficit to 42–31.

Australia appeared to have settled the match with an intercept try, but it was ruled out after officials identified a high tackle earlier in the move. Hunter Paisami became the fourth Wallaby to receive a yellow card. With Australia down to 11 players, Ox Nché scored and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu converted, bringing the Boks to 42–38.

South Africa needed to score again from the restart. Instead, Australia won a penalty for obstruction and kicked the ball out to end the match. The comeback had produced 21 unanswered points, but the Boks had run out of time.

Erasmus accepts responsibility for the defeat

The Springboks had brought a changed side to Perth, with André Esterhuizen captaining the team. Coach Rassie Erasmus did not use the selection changes or the interruptions late in the game to excuse the result.

“We only have ourselves to blame,” Erasmus said in SA Rugby’s post-match reaction. He said Australia were the stronger team on the night. Esterhuizen also acknowledged that the Boks should not have left themselves needing such a large comeback.

The late tries showed South Africa could still put Australia under pressure. They did not change what happened during the preceding hour: the Wallabies had built a lead that even a remarkable numerical advantage could not quite undo.

What comes next for the Springboks

The Boks’ next scheduled Test is against Italy on 7 November, when their Nations Championship campaign resumes in Europe. France and Ireland follow later that month. The break gives the coaches time to assess both the team’s performance while Australia had a full complement of players and the impact made by the replacements during the comeback. The Italy match will be their first chance to respond in a Test. Selection and availability may change before then, so the Perth lineup should not be treated as a settled template for the tour.

The Betting Read

The final four point margin tells only part of the story. A bet assessed solely from the result could make this look like a close contest throughout; Australia were 25 points clear before the cards and the Springbok comeback. Equally, treating the 42–17 score as the whole story would ignore South Africa’s response.

For any future Bok market, the useful questions are how the team is selected, whether it can limit the errors that helped Australia pull away, and how much weight to give a finish played with fewer defenders. Those answers will matter more than assuming this single result sets the pattern for the November Tests. For the market basics, see our sports betting guide; for team news, handicaps and totals in this format, use our Test rugby betting guide.

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