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Swan dive ... Rogers breaks South African hearts.
AUSTRALIA defeated South Africa 20-18 despite a truly insipid performance at Telstra Stadium last night, a wobbly conversion from Stirling Mortlock three minutes from full-time securing the victory.
The Wallabies, who defeated the Springboks 49-0 in Brisbane three weeks ago, were staring a shock defeat in the face with just four minutes to play, trailing by five points and seemingly going nowhere in midfield as they lost control of ruck ball.
Substitute halfback Sam Cordingley, who replaced Wallabies captain George Gregan with just seven minutes to play, scrambled for the ball and flicked it back to Phil Waugh, and the flanker, playing his 50th Test, as a second-half replacement for George Smith, pinned his ears back to break into space inside the Springboks 22.
Waugh drew two South Africa defenders, centre Jaque Fourie and right wing Akona Ndungane, and flicked a two-handed overhead basketball-style pass to Mat Rogers, a 73rd-minute replacement for five-eighth Stephen Larkham, who was withdrawn after a third ineffective performance in four Tri-Nations matches this season.
Rogers sped clear and issued a spectacular swan dive as he touched down with one of the few signs of flourish in a soporific Test.
Mortlock, from a sideline position eerily reminiscent of that from which he landed the penalty goal that handed Australia its first Tri-Nations title at King’s Park, Durban, in 2000, held his nerve to land the match-winning conversion, albeit by the minimum margin after striking the left-hand upright.
The Wallabies centre and vice-captain said after the match that he had hit the ball exactly where he wanted, to the right of the posts, and he thought it was sailing through the centre until it began to draw a little more than intended.
The irony of a poor match dominated by aimless and ineffective tactical kicking as well as disappointing goal kicking – Mortlock and South Africa’s No.1 kicker, full back Percy Montgomery, both missed goal attempts they would normally expect to land in their sleep – being decided by such a scrappy penalty will not be lost on anyone who saw the game.
Wallabies coach John Connolly was unflinchingly honest in his post-match appraisal of the Wallabies.
"That was the great escape,” he said.
“We've had seven Tests in nine weeks and we were a little flat and off our game … you could see the disappointment of losing last week (to New Zealand) physically and emotionally.
“We were incredibly disappointed with the way we played at times, but we're delighted to get away with the win."
Connolly’s Springboks counterpart, Jake White, was proud of his team, which had turned the game on its head in the second period, recovering from a 10-0 half-time deficit to lead 18-13 with less than five minutes to play as they outmuscled the Wallabies both in the set pieces and at the turnover.
“I don’t think they won .. we lost,” White said.
“It was a game of inches.
"It's one of those games that got away from us with four minutes to go.
“I thought defensively we were better than we were three weeks ago."
Certainly, South Africa’s defence was better than in Brisbane, where the Springboks leaked six tries in a dispirited effort, and the Wallabies only rarely looked like opening up their rivals.
Indeed, after a bright start in which Gregan sparked a number of attacks with snipes around the ruck and maul, Australia lacked invention and seemed as if it may again fail to score a try, after doing so against New Zealand last week for the first time since the 18-9 loss to Ireland in Dublin in November 2002.
And Australia’s opening try had nothing to do with its own ability or invention.
Springboks five-eighth Butch James spotted Montgomery and left wing Bryan Habana in space on the flank, but his flat kick missed the outside backs and the ball went to Wallabies right wing Mark Gerrard on the bounce.
The Wallabies flyer enjoyed a clear run to the try line and Mortlock landed the conversion to add to a previous penalty goal.
If only Gerrard’s handling had been so sure in the 61st minute, Australia may have been able to win without the late palpitations.
Centre Matt Giteau chipped the ball behind Habana on the Springboks’ left wing, and his Brumbies teammate ghosted into the space set to score the try that would kill the developing fightback. He had only to pick up the ball, under no pressure, and fall over the line to score, but he managed only to gift the Springboks a knock-on.
The Springboks - themselves toothless in the first half, with just one break fashioned by James for centre Wynand Olivier to show for their meagre efforts – worked their way back into the piece almost immediately after the interval.
James, assuming the place-kicking duties from Montgomery, landed two goals from in front of the posts, and the Springboks then hit the front 15 minutes into the half when Fourie crossed for South Africa's opening try.
The four-pointer, like Australia's opener, resulted from of an opposition error, this time Gregan spilling a pass from man-of-the-match Wycliff Palu at the base of the scrum.
Gregan's Springboks counterpart, Fourie du Preez, hacked the ball ahead, Ndungane fly-hacked it into the goal area and Fourie beat the cover defence to the loose ball.
James converted to give South Africa a 13-10 lead, but they held the advantage for just eight minutes before Mortlock levelled with a penalty awarded after the Springboks’ backs were pinged for offside at a lineout.
The home fans expected the Wallabies to go on with the task, but they were rocked when Montgomery was driven over the try line by Ndungane and Habana five minutes later - Wallabies full back Chris Latham, right wing Lote Tuqiri and Larkham unable to match their momentum and drive after Tuqiri had deliberately held Montgomery up off the ground in a tackle.
The Wallabies' victory keeps them in the hunt for the Tri-Nations title, three points behind New Zealand having played an extra game.
Australia next faces the All Blacks again in Auckland, in a fortnight, before both sides travel to South Africa.
The Springboks will host two games against New Zealand, in Pretoria and Rustenburg, and one against Australia, in Johannesburg.
