Gutsy Wallabies stun Boks with sensational comeback, ending 62-year Ellis Park drought

The Wallabies ended a losing streak of 62 years at Ellis Park with a magnificent come-from-behind effort that must rank as one of their greatest-ever victories.

They turned over a 22-0 deficit after 29 minutes to run out 38-22 winners, stunning the 55,000-strong Ellis Park crowd. It’s an outcome that will rock the Springboks to the core after one of their best starts was followed by a disastrous second half.

The margin of defeat was the heaviest in the Rassie Erasmus era, which started in 2018. It was the first time that the Boks have conceded five tries in a half in the same period. And to compound matters, the Boks’ Rugby Championship defence is already in trouble as they failed to win a single log point while Australia took five from the contest.

The Boks can point to being on the wrong end of a penalty count with frustration. Referee Ben O’Keeffe was hard on the Boks at the breakdown as the world champions conceded 10 penalties, while Australia somehow only infringed four times.

At least two of Australia’s six tries were scored after clear forward passes that went unpunished, but the reality was the visitors were the better team. The Boks mentally fell apart, the longer the Wallabies stayed in the game.

Australia mined deep wells of reserve to stay composed after a ferocious Springbok onslaught in the opening quarter, which should have settled the matter.

The Boks had chances to kill the game off when they led comfortably, but three times they failed to convert when on Australia’s tryline either side of halftime.

With each little positive outcome, the Wallabies grew in confidence while the Boks wilted. The Wallabies "won" the second quarter 5-0 and from there their confidence grew. 

Erasmus will have some serious thinking to do because the drop-off in performance was alarming. From a position of total command and control, the Boks disintegrated into rabble. They were beaten at the breakdown and the lineouts fell apart. They also overplayed once they were 22-0 up, failing to control the game from a position of strength.

Heart

If there is one thing this Wallaby team has shown in 2025, it’s that it possesses heaps of character. They were unlucky to lose the series against the British & Irish Lions 2-1, after a poor first half in the first Test.

In some ways, this match was a microcosm of the Lions series, only this time Australia came out on top.

They were rocked back in the first half but dominated the second, scoring five of their tries after halftime.

Fullback Tom Wright, captain and No 8 Harry Wilson, scrumhalf Nic White, flanks Tom Hooper and Fraser McReight, lock Nick Frost and centre Joseph-Aukuso Sua’ali’i were immense, but singling out individuals is unfair.

This was a collective effort that resulted in a stunning win against the odds.

Read more: Why the 2025 Rugby Championship will be the Springboks’ Mount Everest

The Springboks produced a near-perfect opening quarter, scoring three tries as they rocked the Wallabies, but didn’t quite break their spirit.

The bombardment started from the kick-off. Lock Lood de Jager gathered White’s kick and set up a ruck. Scrumhalf Grant Williams launched a contestable kick, which Wallaby fullback Wright spilled on the 10-metre line to give the Boks possession.

The Boks then launched into attack mode, taking the ball through multiple phases, utilising both power and finesse.

Marco van Staden, centre André Esterhuizen, lock Eben Etzebeth and others featured prominently, before Kurt-Lee Arendse finished in the left-hand corner.

The time on the stadium clock read 1:33. The game was barely two minutes old and the Wallabies were on the rack.

The restart to the try followed the same pattern, with De Jager collecting and Wright spilling Williams’ kick, leading to Australia being buried in their own territory without a way to escape.

It was almost painful to watch as Wallaby defenders were smashed back in contact as the Boks warmed to their task. It was relentless.

Manie Libbok, who conducted the brutal orchestra from a comfortable lectern created by his forwards, landed a tenth minute penalty to grow the lead.

Read more: All pressure on Boks as Wallabies have nothing to lose at Ellis Park

Minutes later Esterhuizen scored his first international try in his twenty-first Test after another breathtaking build-up featuring Libbok, Jesse Kriel and Pieter-Steph du Toit in the final phase. It was rugby from another level.

Captain Siya Kolisi added the team’s third try after 18 minutes, when he was alive to a small hole around the fringes of a ruck close to the Wallaby line after another period of Bok assaults.

When Libbok converted the score was 22-0, and it seemed there was no way back for the shell-shocked Wallabies.

Comeback kids

But if there is one thing Australia showed in the series loss to the British & Irish Lions, it’s that they possess resilience and no shortage of nous.

They stemmed the bleeding, thanks to a slew of breakdown penalties against the Boks – four in seven minutes – while Van Staden was off the field for a head injury assessment.

This was the Wallabies’ best period of the first half, and they were rewarded with the try for left wing Dylan Pietsch, after some clever manipulation of space down the short side.

It was also a wake-up call for the Boks to tidy up their breakdown work after a lull. 

It was a warning they never heeded.

The home team ended the half strongly and came close to scoring again, but valiant Wallaby defence kept them at bay and allowed the visitors brief sanctuary in the changeroom.

But after halftime, when the Boks again failed to score when deep on the attack, Australia started to chance their arm and scored some superb breakout tries.

Wilson scored the first of his two tries from what was a forward pass by prop Angus Bell. No matter, it stood, and suddenly there were only 10 points in it.

When Sua’ali’i intercepted a Libbok pass 40m out to score, there were only three points in it. Wilson grabbed a second try minutes later from another linebreak to unbelievably give the Wallabies the lead.

When wing Max Jorgenson scored the fifth try, which had its genesis inside Australia’s 22 and from a wildly forward pass, the game was up.

Wright added a sixth try as the Boks tried to run from deep and spilled the ball, to sum up their second-half display and a serious bout of soul-searching. DM

Scorers:

South Africa – Tries: Kurt-Lee Arendse, André Esterhuizen, Siya Kolisi. Conversions: Manie Libbok (2). Penalty: Libbok.

Australia – Tries: Dylan Pietsch, Harry Wilson (2), Joseph-Aukuso Sua’ali’i, Max Jorgenson, Tom Wright. Conversions: James O’Connor (4).