Wing Kurt-Lee Arendse led the way with a hattrick of tries as a depleted South Africa side crushed Australia 43-12 in the Rugby Championship clash at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday. The win marked an unhappy return for Wallabies coach Eddie Jones, who saw his team outclassed by the dominant Springboks.
Despite missing several key players, South Africa showcased their strength and speed, ultimately overpowering the Australians. The Boks were awarded two penalty tries and also got tries from flanker Pieter-Steph du Toit. They controlled the aerial battle and proved too much for the visitors, who have now lost all seven of their visits to Pretoria.
Australia did manage to score an early try through wing Marika Koroibete and a late try via debutant Carter Gordon. They also found success in the line-out on both teams’ throws. However, the positives for Jones and his team were scarce as they struggled to match their opponents’ intensity and made numerous unforced handling errors.
South Africa sent several players to New Zealand ahead of their second fixture in Auckland, making way for lock Jean Kleyn’s debut. While the Springboks were not flawless, they still displayed enough quality to secure a comfortable victory.
Bok captain Duane Vermeulen expressed his pride in his team’s performance: I’m really proud of the boys, it was a fantastic performance. We played to our strengths. We can still improve, it was not 100 percent our best performance, but I’m very happy with the result.
The visitors faced even more pressure in the second half, leading to two yellow cards for hooker Dave Porecki and wing Suliasi Vunivalu. The Wallabies’ lack of discipline and handling errors played into the Springboks’ hands.
Arendse’s clinical finishing played a crucial role in the outcome, taking his international try tally to 10 in just seven tests. After Koroibete’s early score, Arendse capitalized on a backline break to cross for his first try. Subsequently, South Africa exploited the frailties in Australia’s defense to score their second try, as scrumhalf Cobus Reinach broke around the blindside from a lineout, leading to Arendse’s second.
In the second half, Arendse completed his hattrick with a stunning display of agility, evading two tackles and touching down. South Africa continued to dominate the rest of the game, with Australia struggling to penetrate their half. Gordon’s late try offered little consolation for the Wallabies.
Australia co-captain James Slipper admitted the pressure was overwhelming: There was an opportunity to put in a performance we are proud of, but we just defended the whole of the second half, they put us under so much pressure. We will learn from that. It is a tough start, but we have a long year ahead of us. There is plenty more to come. We didn’t deal with the pressure, and the lack of discipline put us on the back foot.
The Springboks’ victory showcased their superior athleticism and execution, highlighting the challenges Jones and the Wallabies must address moving forward. As South Africa looks ahead to their match in Auckland, they have shown the strength and depth within their squad, while Australia will need to regroup and find ways to bounce back from this defeat.
