Matt Giteau propels the Wallabies to a Victory over the Springboks
The Australia Wallabies defeated the South Africa Springboks in a physical affair over the weekend in Brisbane. The Wallabies put on a show for their home fans as they notched their first victory in their first match of the 2010 Tri-Nations Cup. A strong performance from the boot of Matt Giteau propelled the Wallabies to a 30-13 victory.
Recap
The match wasted no time getting physical as South African centre Jaque Fourie received a yellow card just two minutes in for a reckless tackle.
The Wallabies were able to take advantage with a Giteau penalty kick in the 14th minute. However, only three minutes later Morne Steyn tied the match up at three with a penalty of his own. It would be over a half an hour until the Boks were able to put another point on the board.
Australia began to take over, starting with Giteau putting on a clinic, however, as he notched three straight penalties in the 19th, 23rd, and 31st, minutes to give the Wallabies a 12-3 lead. The Aussies were not done, however, as winger Drew Mitchell crossed the line for a try to end the half at 17-3.
Giteau continued his outstanding day coming out of half and scoring his fifth penalty of the match in the 41st minute. Australia continued to lean heavily on the struggling South African side, as James O’Connor hit another penalty in the 46th minute to make the lead 23-3.
The South Africans were not able to get back on the board until a Fourie try in the 62nd minute, which was followed by a Gurthro Steenkamp try to close the lead to 23-13 in the 71st minute. However, just as it seemed as though the Boks were climbing back into it, Australian scrum-half Will Genia capped off what was a wonderful first game back from injury with a try in the 75th minute. In the end, it was all put out of reach with an O’Connor conversion that sealed Australia’s 30-13 victory in the 76th.
The game was riddled with penalties and three cards were given out, as South Africa’s BJ Botha, and Fourie were booked, and Australia’s Quade Cooper recorded a booking and spent time in the sin-bin.
The victory for the Wallabies continues their domination over the Springboks in Brisbane and Suncorp Stadium.
Table
With the victory, Australia cements themselves in the second place spot, capturing four points and a point differential of plus-17. While the loss keeps the South Africans in the basement with zero points in three games and a point differential of minus-51. The New Zealand All Blacks remain at the top of the table with 10 points and a differential of plus-34.
Going Forward
Going forward, the win is huge for a Wallabies side that needs to continue to perform well if they hope to catch the very strong All Blacks squad. Australia will enjoy two more home matches, both against the All Blacks, the first to come next week.
Conversely, the Tri-Nations tournament looks to be all but over for a Springboks side that has performed terribly in their three away matches. The Boks have three matches remaining, two against Australia at home and another in South Africa against the All Blacks. The Boks will have to win all their remaining matches with the bonus point to have any real shot at the tournament championship.
The All Blacks have three games remaining, the next coming in Melbourne against Australia on the 31st of July. Their other three matches will be in Christchurch, Johannesburg, and Sydney respectively. Sitting at the top of the table, the All Blacks are favoured to take the tournament title. A win and a bonus point in any of their remaining matches would eliminate the Springboks from contention.
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