The Boks could not have wished for a better start to the game when star winger Aphiwe Dyantyi snatched an intercept pass from Kurtley Beale to score with barely a minute on the board. PORT ELIZABETH - The Springboks have beaten the Wallabies in their Rugby Championship meeting in Port Elizabeth on Saturday evening. The Boks could not have wished for a better start to the game when star winger Aphiwe Dyantyi snatched an intercept pass from Kurtley Beale to score with barely a minute on the board. Rassie Erasmus' men were in an attacking mood in the first half, creating numerous scoring opportunities but failing to capitalise on their early dominance, squandering those chances for points. They scored again in the 22nd minute of the match when Handre Pollard spotted a mismatch against front-rower Scott Sio, attacking the advantage line before offloading to Faf de klerk to score the second try. The Wallabies were not going down without a fight firm fight as they hit back with two quick tries from Will Genia and Reece Hodge to narrow the gap to just two points. Pollard's boot was on song in the PE, as he kept the scoreboard ticking with two penalty kicks in the first half to give the Boks a 20-12 halftime lead. It was much the same for the Boks in the second half, as they continued to inflict territorial pressure on the Wallabies but failed to convert as silly errors plagued their game. Pollard slotted another penalty to stretch the lead to 23 - 12. The Wallabies too struggled to enforce themselves on the Boks as they too struggled with fluidity in their game.<doc-sep>Port Elizabeth: The Wallabies have slumped to their eighth loss from 10 starts with a 23-12 defeat to South Africa that will only give Michael Cheika doubters more ammunition to call for change at the top. Australia, who gave up a try after 24 seconds courtesy of a Kurtley Beale brain fade on his own line, were unable to snap a seven-year losing streak on South African soil after a tryless second half in which the Wallabies had a staggering 79 per cent of field territory. Australia's Folau Faingaa tackles South Africa's Andre Esterhuizen during their rugby test match in Port Elizabeth. Credit:AP The Springboks showed a fortnight ago in their win against the All Blacks that Test rugby can be won without the ball and without territory. By full-time, South Africa had just 40 per cent possession and 36 per cent territory. "I thought we created some very good opportunities then we just couldn’t get the finish on a couple of times," Cheika said. "It was two tries all, we basically gave one away and then we had a lot of good footy but you’ve got to capitalise on your moments don’t you."<doc-sep>A BRAIN snap intercept try after just 24 seconds forced the Wallabies to scramble, fumble and fight before frittering away another Test with a 23-12 loss to South Africa in Port Elizabeth. The impact of that horror start was hammered home when the Wallabies had a huge chance late in the game with the Springboks down to 14 men with winger Aphiwe Dyantyi in the sin bin. The men in gold could not score a point in that period from the 65th minute despite camping in the Boks’ quarter and a Test that could have been far closer was gone. The brutal bottom line is that the Wallabies have now won just two of their last 10 Tests and the nerve of Rugby Australia is being tested like never before to keep backing the coach in charge. The Wallabies were messy too often with 65 per cent of the ball. There was ample starch to the defence and backrower David Pocock and fullback Dane Haylett-Petty (16 runs for 98m) were superb. Lock Adam Coleman played strongly, halfback Will Genia worked to a standstill and Kurtley Beale never stopped trying to conjure a strike-back in the 79-and-half good minutes he played. It was credit to Beale’s resilience that he came back so hard. The Wallabies have made some scrambled starts to Tests over the years but rarely as irrational as in this one. It wasn’t just that Beale attempted a needless 15m cutout pass just metres from his own tryline to skipper Michael Hooper wide on the right. The stupid pass was intercepted by the flying Dyantyi just centimetres from Hooper’s grasp and dotted down for a 7-0 own goal from the Australians. Beale completely misread the whole occasion. The entire build-up to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the late Nelson Mandela’s birth had the Boks pumped to the limit. Beale should have played the sensible, solid start with a thumping kick to bring the vibe down a notch, instead of setting off another sonic boom from the 41,332-strong crowd that had just finished belting out a stirring South African anthem. Coach Michael Cheika keeps preaching bold but not risky. It was a shocker from Beale and signs of being rattled continued. Rookie hooker Folau Fainga’a, starting his first Test, couldn’t catch cleanly the first two passes thrown at him and missed the first-up tackle on flyhalf Handre Pollard when he sliced threw to set up the Faf de Klerk try. An early lineout throw to Hooper was picked off and the Wallabies looked all at sea at 14-0 down just past the 20-minute mark. “We created some very good opportunities and then we just couldn’t get the finish on them,” coach Michael Cheika said. “It was two tries apiece and we basically gave one away and then we had a lot of good footy. “But, you’ve got to capitalise on your moments don’t you.. “I thought Kurtley came back from that (intercept) really well. I’m sure that would have spooked him a bit but I thought the rest of his game was pretty solid because he was instrumental in a lot of our attacking setups.” The Wallabies were solid enough at the lineout except really vital ones like the bungled 5m lineout when replacement hooker Brandon Paenga-Amosa couldn’t connect a throw with Coleman at the back. Amid the ragged play, Haylett-Petty stood tall in the first half with eight runs for 62m and six tackle busts. Centre Reece Hodge was strong too and Coleman was a forceful figure for the pack in that difficult opening half. The momentum did turn with the first settled, sustained play by the Australians in the first half but it took 23 minutes to find it. Coleman made a charge and popped a ball to Hooper and a Will Genia grubber to five metres out was just smart Test rugby. Shortly after, Genia was spiralling a long cutout ball for Hodge to go over in the corner. It was two tries in three minutes when Genia dashed over himself after Haylett-Petty had expertly taken off and beaten two tackles after catching a high ball. Hodge and winger Marika Koroibete sustained the raid and Genia, with two touches, took the final pass to score. The ship was nearly back on an even keel but two penalty goals to Pollard pushed the gap to 20-12 by halftime. Backrower Pocock was immense and three turnovers at the breakdown stemmed dangerous South African situations. “We needed to take the opportunity there (against 14 men), take one try there we’re in with a chance to win the game,” captain Michael Hooper said. Hooper said the team quickly refocused after the Beale intercept. “We looked up after 18 seconds and there was a try against you...what can you do,” Hooper said. “The message doesn’t change from when you ran out so you focus and go again. I was really proud of the team getting back to (12-14).” Both Cheika and Hooper agreed it was a clear step up in positive energy and performance from the shabby 23-19 loss to Argentina two weeks ago. “For sure (there were positives). We were down 14-0 in a cauldron atmosphere and considering where we’ve been at, we held our nerve really well and fought our way back into the game,” Cheika said. “I don’t think we dominated enough of the physical contest but we still managed to manufacture a lot of opportunities.” Cheika had a gripe with several issues at the lineout and the prevalence of knocked-down passes by the rushing Boks defence that didn’t trigger a yellow card. “They steal one off us and it’s play on when they have six (players in the lineout) and we have five,” Cheika said. “I know the games we play when there are slapdowns, our guy keeps going to the bin. “They are playing a hard line speed with hands out in front of the ball and no one is going anywhere when it’s knocked down so we need to get clarity there.”<doc-sep>The Springboks’ hopes of beating the Wallabies have suffered a blow after losing Warren Whiteley to injury. THE Springboks’ hopes of securing back to back Rugby Championship wins have suffered a blow after losing inspirational No 8 Warren Whiteley for their return bout against the Wallabies in Port Elizabeth. A groin injury sustained during training earlier in the week has forced the former Springboks captain out of the match. It’s a colossal blow to Rassie Erasmus’ side, who are coming off the high of beating the All Blacks in their last Test. While it was the speed of Aphiwe Dyantyi that blitzed the All Blacks out wide, it was Whiteley’s calm head, leadership and dogged defensive effort that was the cornerstone of their remarkable 36-34 victory in Wellington. Whiteley didn’t miss any of his 27 tackles in the match and his workrate will be missed against the Wallabies. He has been replaced by Stormers No 8 Sikhumbuzo Notshe, who will make his run on debut. WALLABIES (15-1): Dane Haylett-Petty, Israel Folau, Reece Hodge, Matt Toomua, Marika Koroibete, Kurtley Beale, Will Genia, David Pocock, Michael Hooper (c), Ned Hanigan, Izack Rodda, Adam Coleman, Taniela Tupou, Tatafu Polota-Nau, Scott Sio. Reserves: Folau Faingaa, Sekope Kepu, Allan Alaalatoa, Rory Arnold, Rob Simmons, Nick Phipps, Bernard Foley, Jack Maddocks. SPRINGBOKS (15-1): Willie le Roux, Cheslin Kolbe, Jesse Kriel, Andre Esterhuizen, Aphiwe Dyantyi, Handre Pollard, Faf de Klerk, Sikhumbuzo Notshe, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Siya Kolisi (c); Franco Mostert, Eben Etzebeth, Frans Malherbe, Malcolm Marx, Tendai Mtawarira Reserves: Bongi Mbonambi, Steven Kitshoff, Wilco Louw, RG Snyman, Marco van Staden, Embrose Papier, Elton Jantjies, Damian Willemse Erasmus has made four changes to his starting side with Tendai Mtawarira, Andre Esterhuizen and Cheslin Kolbe also called in. The Wallabies have also made four changes to their side following their shock loss to Argentina earlier this month, with two forced alterations and a couple of tactical changes. Despite losing to the Wallabies 23-18 in Brisbane earlier this month, the Springboks (10 points) remain a mathematical chance of securing their first Rugby Championship tournament victory. But they must also rely on the All Blacks (16 points) losing to the Pumas in Argentina, before hosting the world champions next month. After being relegated to the bench for the past two Tests, Mtawarira returns at loosehead prop with Steven Kitshoff dropping to the bench. Erasmus has also been forced to name a brand new midfield combination after centres pairing Damien de Allende and Lukhanyo Am were injured against the All Blacks. NEW PODCAST! World Cup-winning coach Bob Dwyer provides some fascinating views on Michael Cheika and the struggling Wallabies ahead of their clash with the Springboks Subscribe to the podcast on iTunes by CLICKING HERE In their places Esterhuizen returns at inside centre after missing the last two Tests and is joined by Jesse Kriel who has shifted in from the wing. And after two spectacular cameos off the bench, Toulouse utility back Kolbe comes in on the right wing. “Cheslin has been very impressive since he joined the squad a few weeks ago and now he gets a deserved opportunity to start in a big Test,” Erasmus said. “The same applies for Notshe, who did very well in the role of impact player during the English series. “He has kept on working hard and he deserves his opportunity in the starting team. “The inclusion of ‘Beast’ in the front row is a straight swap for Steven and Jesse returns to outside centre, a position where he has played most of his Test rugby, next to Andre, who started in four Tests already this year.” MORE RUGBY NEWS ‘EXTRAORDINARY STEP’: WORLD RUGBY PLOTS RADICAL TACKLE LAW CHANGES ‘AN INDICTMENT ON US’: WHY SLIMMED DOWN SKELTON IS SHAMING AUSSIE RUGBY ‘I’M A NEW MAN’: KARMICHAEL TACKLES BINGE DRINKING, DRUG DEMONS IN EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW Tendai Mtawarira has been named to start for the Springboks. Source: Getty Images On the bench, loose forward Marco van Staden, halfback Embrose Papier and outside back Damian Willemse all make returns. “The players that we sent on (in Wellington) took their chances and that’s what we want from this group,” Erasmus added. “We are trying to build experience in the squad that we can take to the Rugby World Cup.” Get every game of the 2018 Mitsubishi Estate Rugby Championship LIVE into your living room. FREE Sport HD + Entertainment as part of 2 months free with no lock-in contract. SIGN UP TODAY. T&Cs apply<doc-sep>
Port Elizabeth is no happy hunting ground. With pretty poor records in South Africa for Australia, whether that be at the Super Rugby or international level, here was an opportunity to open the ledger with a rare away victory. It wasn’t to be for Australia, and their poor form – two from eight this year – continues. If they want to move up any rankings by December, this dismal run needs to end. With a daunting All Blacks game to come, not to mention playing England at Twickenham, Michael Cheika will want to turn it around by next week vs Argentina. Facebook Twitter Whatsapp Reddit Email Share Goalkicking just way off for Australia One of the biggest differences between the two sides was the goalkicking. In a game where just four tries were scored – two each – something had to give and it did, with a miserly one conversion coming from the boot of Matt Toomua, while Handre Pollard nailed five from five. There’s no way Australia would have gone flawlessly with the boot – at Nelson Mandela Bay, a ground where the Wallabies have never played – and while you can’t entirely blame a kicker for losing a test, one from four was never going to help the visitors. Lineout woes not ending anytime soon Polota Nau’s late rule out wouldn’t have helped matters, but this aspect of the set-piece was once again dismal. Scrums were passable – albeit you wouldn’t know Tupou existed after those 80 minutes – but the lineouts went horribly wrong. After almost losing three in two minutes in the second half, they tried to tighten up by throwing right to the front, which, while not being totally reliable, worked reasonably well. After the Springboks were penalised for collapsing a maul on their own line, I was crying out for the Aussies to go for the corner, which they well might have if their throwing and catching was anywhere near par. Rugby Championship dishing up some contests While the last two years of competition have seemed set in stone from after a few rounds, 2018, largely due to the Springboks’ upset in Wellington, is still alive. A New Zealand victory in Argentina will tie up the title, but it’s great to be talking about the prospective chances of the Pumas, and not about how much the ABs will win each game by. Next year’s competition seems much more fascinating, with the four countries looking to set a standard with their first games in the lead-up to the world cup. Australia’s backline still very undecided It’s been said before, but one year out from the World Cup, Cheika would want to have a better idea of who his best backline are. As Kurtley Beale showed his credentials at flyhalf, Bernard Foley vs Toomua at 10 is the main query, while Dane Haylett-Petty was solid at fullback sparking the Folau wing debate. When Tevita Kuridrani returns, questions will be asked about how he slides into the 15 (or even 23), whether he pushes Reece Hodge back to 12 or if Toomua stays there. It’s hard to see Cheika doing much experimenting against Argentina, especially that he’d be glad just to win that game.