Australia stun South Africa with historic comeback

South Africa 22-38 Australia, Ellis Park

Australia produced one of the greatest comebacks in Rugby Championship history by defeating South Africa 38-22 at Ellis Park, Johannesburg.

The Wallabies, who had not won at the venue since 1963, overturned a 22-0 deficit with six unanswered tries to claim a sensational victory.

The match began disastrously for Australia, with South Africa scoring their first try just over a minute into the game. Kurt-Lee Arendse finished a sweeping move set up by Manie Libbok and Aphelele Fassi. Libbok added the conversion to put the Springboks ahead 7-0.

In the ninth minute, South Africa extended their lead when Libbok slotted a penalty following a ruck turnover by Malcolm Marx.

The hosts continued their early dominance with André Esterhuizen crashing over in the 13th minute, again converted by Libbok, stretching the lead to 17-0. Just five minutes later, captain Siya Kolisi powered his way through for another try, also converted by Libbok, putting the Springboks firmly in control at 22-0.

Australia finally found some momentum in the 28th minute when Dylan Pietsch crossed the line after a well-worked attack involving Len Ikitau and James O’Connor. Although the conversion was missed, it gave the Wallabies some belief heading into halftime with the score at 22-5.

The second half saw a stunning reversal of fortunes. Just three minutes after the restart, Australia’s captain Harry Wilson stormed over the line to reduce the deficit further.

The comeback gathered pace in the 58th minute when Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii intercepted a wide pass from Libbok and raced away to score, bringing the score within striking distance.

By the 64th minute, Wilson struck again, scoring his second try of the evening and putting Australia in the lead for the first time in the match. Just two minutes later, Max Jorgensen added to the tally after another smooth passage of play orchestrated by O’Connor.

The final blow came in the 76th minute when Tom Wright completed a long-range run to touch down, sealing an incredible turnaround. With South Africa unable to score a single point for over 60 minutes, Australia closed out the match 38-22.