The Springboks opened their Castle Lager Rugby Championship account in style as they demolished Australia 33-7 in Brisbane on Saturday morning.
South Africa put a sword to the Wallabies as they turned a 21-0 half-time lead into a 33-7 bonus-point victory. They showcased their class, experience, and dominance of back-to-back world champions.
The Boks were in cruise control for most of the half. And they were duly rewarded with tries by captain fantastic Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit, and Kurt-Lee Arendse.
After missing an early penalty attempt, young sensation Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu was on target with all three conversions.
Mngomezulu, starting his first Test, kicked four out of six. He had a good game as he ran and handled well while making his tackles when necessary.
Consolation try
The Wallabies fought gamely as they scrambled in reverse gear for 80 minutes. This was when center Hunter Paisami scored his side’s consolation try with four minutes to go after the Boks had been reduced to those 13 men. But the Boks’ hunger to defend never wavered.
Malcolm Marx was shown a yellow card for a head contact on Rob Valetini in the 67th minute. While Marco van Staden was also given a yellow card 72nd minute for not rolling away.
The Boks suffered a third yellow in those closing moments when Jessie Kriel was booked in the final two minutes for a deliberate knock-on.
However, those were the only real blemishes on an otherwise composed day for the Boks. They enjoyed only their seventh victory in Australia in 35 attempts since 1993.
The win also equalled their previous biggest win in Australia (26 points). It was achieved in a 38-12 win at the same venue in 2013.
South Africa will face Australia again in their second Rugby Championship Test match at the Optus Stadium. The match is next week Saturday.
Scorers:
Australia 7 (7) – Try: Hunter Paisami. Conversion: Tom Lynagh
Springboks 33 (21) – Tries: Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Kurt-Lee Arendse (2). Kwagga Smith Conversions: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (4).
