The Springboks were frustrated in the battle “down under” as they went down, 16-9, to the Wallabies in their Tri-Nations test match played at the Subiaco Oval in Perth on Saturday. Both teams were well short of technical perfection in a scrappy game with the Wallabies gaining a crucial edge in the way referee Bryce Lawrence controlled, or didn’t control!, the breakdown.

New Zealander Lawrence allowed a George Smith-led Wallabies side to get away with plenty of liberties (if not murder!) in the rucks and mauls and also to negate the Springbok lineout by stepping across or fouling the jumper.

That said, the Springboks also succumbed to their own errors — both in selection and execution.

The Boks missed the steadying influence of Percy Montgomery, with Conrad Jantjes having an uncertain game at fullback, while Schalk Brits’s lineout throwing was off-beam — one misdirected ball leading directly to the try by Lote Tuqiri in the 34th minute that gave the Wallabies a lead they would not relinquish.

In the end the Boks gained a vital bonus point from the match — a point which may well prove to be crucial as the rest of the tournament unfolds — but they will rue not having made more of their chances.

Poor tactical kicking, a tendency not to protect the ball or to surrender it too easily plus poor implementation, such as fluffing catches and passes, at vital stages cost Victor Matfield’s side dearly and there was the added concern that both Schalk Burger and Bryan Habana left the field suffering from what looked to be serious injuries.

After Francois Steyn had given the Boks the lead with a trademark long-range penalty in the seventh minute the match became an arm-wrestle with first one side then the other threatening.

De Villiers made a strong break which could not be finished, Spies dropped the ball when he might have broken clear and Habana came close but for the ball having gone forward after Brits had hurled it infield.

But it was the Wallabies who dominated the crucial ten-minute spells on either side of the halftime break.

A poor lineout throw by Brits led to the Wallabies getting a questionable penalty and they advanced the ball up the touchline.

Stephen Moore spotted Smith unmarked at the back and threw long over the top to his skipper. Peter Hynes sped in from the blindside and slick passing, especially by Matt Giteau, gave Lote Toqiri the space he needed to skid in at the corner.

Giteau missed the conversion but the Wallabies had the lead at the turn and they returned to make a strong start — building the phases and laying siege to the Bok line.

Jean de Villiers did well to rob Rocky Elsom of the ball but play was returned to a free-kick in centre-field which the Wallabies, making a statement, chose to scrum.

Giteau, cleverly manipulating the Boks’ split defence, attacked to the left and Stirling Mortlock smashed through Jean de Villiers’s attempted tackle and had enough momentum to drag Juan Smith, JP Pietersen and Ricky Januarie over with him to give his side a 10-3 lead.

Mortlock would leave the field dazed after literally being “cleaned out” by Bakkies Botha, Burger would follow and then Giteau made it 13-3 with a penalty in the 51st minute.

This was the signal for the Bok coaches to ring the changes, thus handing Adriaan Strauss his debut, and when the Wallabies were finally penalised for being off-sides at a ruck Butch James cut the gap to 13-6.

A penalty kicked to touch provided an opportunity for Bryan Habana to snipe at the corner, but he lost the ball in Ryan Cross’s tackle and was forced to leave the field because of a bruised left shoulder.

A short lineout called by Matfield extracted a penalty for obstruction which enabled Steyn to move the deficit to 9-13 but a raft of replacements by Robbie Deans provided the extra energy the Wallabies needed for the closing ten minutes — Berrick Barnes eventually clinching their win when he stood deep to drop a goal in the 78th minute, making the final score 16-9.

The Wallabies and the All Blacks will be involved in an intense home-and-away stand-off over the next two weeks and the Springboks will get back into action when they play the All Blacks at Newlands on August 16.

Scorers were:

Australia (5) 16: Tries by Lote Tuqiri (34 min) and Stirling Mortlock (44 min). Matt Giteau kicked a penalty and Berrick Barnes a dropped goal.

South Africa (3) 9: Francois Steyn kicked two penalties and Butch James a penalty.

Source: sarugby.com