Australia end losing streak after beating South Africa 23-18

Australia 23-18 South Africa, Suncorp Stadium
Scorecard

Australia managed to get their ongoing Rugby Championship campaign back on track after they went on to beat South Africa 23-18 in the third round of the competition at Suncorp Stadium on Saturday.

The victory also brought an end to a four-game losing streak for the Wallabies as they open their account in the Rugby Championship while the Springboks suffer their second consecutive defeat.

Australia made a bright start to the game when Michael Hooper dived from close range in the second minute after good work from Scott Sio and Allan Alaalatoa. Matt Toomua kicked the conversion to take the home side to a 7-0 lead but the Boks responded back strong with Bongi Mbonambi crossing over in the 14th minute and Elton Jantjies kicked a penalty and a conversion on either side to take them to a 7-10 lead.

Rassie Erasmus' men further upped their ante when their second try came through winger Makazole Mapimpi in the 28th minute that took their lead to 7-15 but Toomua kept the Wallabies in the game with a converted try in the 33rd minute as the gap between the two teams came down to just one point.

Just before the break both Jantjies and Reece Hodge traded penalty kicks as the teams ended the first half with a 17-18 scoreline.

The second half was a low-scoring affair as teams struggled to score a point in the first 14 minutes before Toomua kicked his first penalty kick in the 55th minute and he followed it with another in the 69th minute that remained the only points from either side after the break as Michael Cheika's side completed a 23-18 victory.

HIGHLIGHTS: 2018 TRC Rd 3: Australia v South Africa
The @qantaswallabies have edged out the @Springboks 23-18 in a tense contest in Brisbane. #RugbyChampionship #AUSvRSA pic.twitter.com/lBaGPL89BD

— TheRugbyChampionship (@SanzarTRC) September 8, 2018