Australia end losing drought with 23-17 victory over South Africa

Australia 23-17 South Africa, Suncorp Stadium
Scorecard

It was a Bernard Foley special at the Suncorp Stadium in Brisbane where the Wallabies secured a hardfought 23-17 win against the Springboks on Saturday during the Rugby Championship clash.

The fly-half alone outperformed the visitors by a point after scoring a crucial 61st minute try in addition to kicking two conversions and three penalties for his side.

The Boks got on the scoreboard early on the third minute of the match as number eight Warren Whiteley scored the first try of the game. Fly-half Elton Jantjies added the extras with his conversion as the visitors grabbed early initiative in the game.

Match referee Nigel Owens penalized the visitors for collapsing a scrum, thereby presenting an opportunity to Foley to open the account for the hosts on the scoreboard.

However, the Boks came back strong to score another try on the 18th minute when hooker Adriaan Strauss intercepted a pass from Foley, which allowed fullback Johan Goosen to cross over the try line. Jantjies' conversion extended Boks' lead to 11 points.

A 5m lineout in the 25th minute presented the first try scoring opportunity to Stephen Moore and his men. After putting the ball through phases, lock Adam Coleman finally got over the try line. Foley's conversion reduced the lead down to four points for the visitors.

In 33rd minute the Boks were caught offside thus presenting Foley a shot at the goal. The three points reduced the deficit to just one point and remained so until the half-time whistle.

The Boks got off to an ominous start in the second-half after losing lock Eben Etzebeth to the sin-bin in the 42nd minute. Owens penalized Etzebeth for "making no attempt to roll away".

Foley's third successful penalty on the 43rd minute allowed the home-side to take the lead for the first time in the game.

The two teams made a series of substitution on the next 15 minutes.

In 62nd minute, after 18 phases of play, Foley, the man-of-the-hour managed to sneak past the Boks' defence to somersault over the try line.

With a successful conversion, the fly-half extended the lead for the hosts to nine points with 17 minutes remaining on the clock.

Only a minute later, the Wallabies conceded a penalty for failing to roll away as replacement fly-half Morne Steyn, who had replaced Jantjies on the previous minute, found himself under a tight spotlight. Steyn's three-pointer under the pressure brought the visitors within reach of turning the game in their favor.

However, the Wallabies, desperate for the win, managed to run down the clock, thus finally ending their losing streak since the Rugby World Cup finals defeat.

Despite the win, Michael Cheika's men remain at the bottom of the points table, behind the Pumas who are ahead by a point and the Boks who are ahead by two points after securing the losing bonus point during their two defeats.