BRISBANE – Australia snapped their four-game losing streak as they edged South Africa 23-18 in their Rugby Championship encounter at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane on Saturday.
The Wallabies kept the visitors scoreless in the second half and survived a late siege on their line to gain a vital victory which all but ends the Springboks hopes at winning the Rugby Championship.
“We knew it was going to be tight, a hard effort,” said Australian captain Michael Hooper pitch-side after guiding his side to a much-needed win.
“They were always going to come out firing off their year so far. It was a really good game, a lot of back and forth but I’m really proud of our guys and the fight they showed. It was a resilient effort.”
The win helps Australia turn the corner after two poor displays against New Zealand with Hooper particularly proud of his side’s defence and self belief.
“There was a level of calmness tonight that we probably haven’t seen this year,” said the backrower. “We knew our roles and we were happy to grind them out.”
The Wallabies were able to control large portions of the game – with both ball in hand and territorially on the back of a measured game from Will Genia and Matt Toomau – as the South Africans failed to maintain their composure with a number of handling errors preventing any meaningful build up of pressure.
“We worked hard on our combinations and I’m just proud of the guys for getting it done,’ he added.