Australia (11) 24
Tries: Folau, Horne
Con: Foley
Pens: Foley (4)
South Africa (14) 23
Try: Hendricks
Pens: Steyn (6)
Rob Horne scored a late try, converted by Bernard Foley, to give Australia a 24-23 win over South Africa in their Rugby Championship game in Perth.
The match turned when South Africa’s Bryan Habana, winning his 100th cap, was sin-binned with 15 minutes remaining and his side leading 23-14.
The Wallabies capitalised on their numerical advantage, with Foley cutting the lead to six points with a penalty.
And in the final two minutes, Horne went over as Australia edged it.
It is Australia’s first win in this year’s tournament and a first success over South Africa in four attempts in the competition.
Israel Folau gave them the perfect start with a try inside 90 seconds but South Africa hit back with the first of Morne Steyn’s six penalties and a Cornal Hendricks try to put them 8-5 ahead.
Another Foley penalty levelled the match but two successful kicks from Steyn left South Africa 14-8 up by the 25th minute, before Foley narrowed the gap to three points with his second penalty of the night shortly before the half-hour mark.
That proved to be the final score of the half as South Africa went into the interval with a 14-11 advantage.
Foley hit back with a penalty two minutes after the restart to square the match at 14-14 before a scrambling Wallabies defence was forced to concede another penalty which Steyn kicked to return the Springboks into the lead.
The Stade Francais lynchpin then stretched his side’s lead to 20-14 in the 49th minute after a collapsed scrum before he squeezed over his final penalty just after the hour-mark to stretch the visitors’ lead to nine points.
The momentum then swung back in the hosts’ favour when Habana was penalised for a high tackle and the pressure from the Wallabies paid off.
Australia: Folau, Ashley-Cooper, Kuridrani, Toomua, Horne, Foley, Phipps, Palu, Hooper (capt), Fardy, Simmons, Carter, Kepu, Hanson, Slipper.
Replacements: Fainga’a,Cowan, Alexander, Horwill, Higginbotham, Hodgson, White, Beale.
South Africa: Le Roux, Hendricks, Serfontein, De Villiers (capt), Habana, Steyn, Pienaar; Vermeulen, Coetzee, Louw, Matfield, Etzebeth, Jannie du Plessis, Strauss, Mtawarira.
Replacements: Bismarck du Plessis, Nyakane, Van der Merwe, De Jager, Whiteley, Hougaard, Lambie, De Allende.
