Rugby Championship: Wallabies stun Springboks for back-to-back wins

Wallabies player Len Ikitau celebrates his try with his teammates. Photo / Photosport

Wallabies 30
Springboks 17

The Wallabies' love affair with Brisbane continued tonight, with Australia recording a 10th successive win at Suncorp Stadium in inflicting a second successive defeat on world champions South Africa.

Less than a week after beating the Springboks 28-26 on the Gold Coast, the Wallabies repeated the dose with a 30-17 bonus-point victory in front of almost 40,000 fans to win the Nelson Mandela Plate and keep their faint Rugby Championship hopes alive.

Braces to Len Ikitau and Marika Koroibete ensured the Wallabies scored four tries in a test against South Africa for the first time since 2011.

Winger Koroibete's tries in the 62nd and 68th minutes broke the game open after the Wallabies clung to an 18-17 lead.

Koroibete's first try was set up by superb no-look pass from prop Taniela Tupou, who was superb in his 78 minutes, while first-five Quade Cooper again produced a controlled display in his second test back after an absence of four years.

Skipper Michael Hooper, leading the Wallabies for a record 60th time, was a constant menace in another memorable display.

The Wallabies dominated early, making the most of the sin-binning of South Africa's halfback Faf de Klerk to score two tries while the Springboks were reduced to 14 men.

De Klerk was shown the yellow card in the 13th minute for a professional foul of rival No 9 Nic White.

Rather than take a shot for goal from the subsequent penalty, the Wallabies opted to kick for touch.

It paid dividends, with outside centre Ikitau scoring his first Wallabies try a minute later after breaking through the tackles of Springboks pair Handre Pollard and Marvin Orie.

Having kicked eight from eight the previous week to guide Australia to a 28-26 win over the same opponents, Cooper showed he was human after all, striking the post with a relatively easy shot for goal.

A Pollard penalty in the 18th minute cut the Wallabies lead to two points, but the hosts' advantage was soon extended thanks another try from the impressive Ikitau.

Cooper, fullback Tom Banks and Koroibete were all involved, with Ikitau scoring out wide to secure his brace.

Wallabies player Len Ikitau scores a try against the Springboks. Photo / Photosport

Not fazed by his earlier miss, Cooper converted from the sideline to give Australia a 12-3 lead.

But the Springboks remained calm, with Australia's momentum halted by a serious arm injury to Banks and the 33rd-minute sin-binning of flanker Lachie Swinton for high contact when making a tackle on South Africa's No 8 Duane Vermeulen.

By halftime the Wallabies lead had been cut to three points thanks to a perfect first-half goal-kicking display from Pollard.

And with Swinton still off the field, South Africa took the lead early in the second half via a try from outside centre Lukhanyo Am, who was first to a deft grubber kick from de Klerk.

However, Australia regained the lead in the 51st minute through a Cooper penalty, before Koroibete's two tries in the final 20 minutes sealed the hosts' win.

South Africa finished the match with 14 men on the field after the late sin-binning of Jasper Wiese.

- news.com.au

‌