Rugby Rewind: Boks’ Wins Over Wallabies Down Under

Ahead of the Springboks’ back-to-back Rugby Championship clashes against Australia, Quintin van Jaarsveld looks back at the men in Green and Gold’s rare wins over the Wallabies Down Under.

Kangaroo country has been a barren wasteland for the Boks, who’ve managed just five wins over the Wallabies there since rugby turned professional in 1996. Before we look forward to this weekend’s opening encounter, let’s reflect on the Boks’ triumphs Down Under:

Mallett’s Trailblazers

Amid their record 17-match winning streak, Nick Mallett’s Tri-Nations-winning team of 1998 were the first South African side to triumph on Australian soil.

Led by Gary Teichmann, who made up the back row alongside flanks Andre Venter and one Rassie Erasmus, the team had the perfect mix of World Cup-winning stars and up-and-coming youngsters.

The Wallabies got the first-ever Test match in Perth off to the perfect start as Ben Tune touched down in the right-hand corner inside the opening two minutes. Staying composed, South Africa got onto the scoreboard through Percy Montgomery and took the lead in the 27th minute when an opportunistic Joost van der Westhuizen scored from a quick tap.

A Matt Burke penalty goal saw the sides level at 8-all at halftime with the Boks scoring first after the break through the boot of Montgomery. A try by George Gregan put the Wallabies back in front before a third three-pointer by Montgomery nudged the Boks ahead 14-13, which it remained with Burke missing a sitter from bang in front and the Boks holding on for a historic win.

Habana On The Double

It took seven years for South Africa to repeat the feat in Perth.

Montgomery was a key man for the Boks again in the 2005 Tri-Nations clash, the fullback slotting three penalty goals and a drop goal. However, the day belonged to Bryan Habana, who scored a brace of tries to help the Boks eke out a 22-19 win.

Coached by Jake White, the Boks pounced on a Wallaby mistake in their 22 with Habana sprinting the length of the field for an electrifying early score. A kicking duel between Montgomery and Matt Rogers took the score to 17-9 in favour of the visitors before Morgan Turinui bashed through the midfield and sent South African-born Clyde Rathbone over for the hosts’ opening try.

Rogers added the conversion and a penalty goal to push the Wallabies into a 19-17 lead, but Habana had the final say with a second breakaway try from inside his 22.

Smit And Company March On

The world champion Springboks flexed their muscles in 2009, winning the British & Irish Lions series before becoming the first and only team to sweep the All Blacks in a series and beating the Wallabies twice to clinch the Tri-Nations.

Following three straight wins to start the South Hemisphere showpiece, Peter de Villiers’ men made their way to Perth where John Smit led out the side in the No. 3 jersey. The Boks raced into a 15-point lead and turned 22-6 to the good at the break thanks to tries from Fourie du Preez, Jaque Fourie and Habana and the boot of Morne Steyn.

The Wallabies fired more shots in the second half with Giteau, who’d end up contributing 20 points, going over for the first of his two tries. However, another Habana try firmly kept South Africa in the ascendency with Giteau’s follow-up score and Lachie Turner’s five-pointer proving too little too late for the Wallabies as the Boks triumphed 32-25.

Meyer’s Men Run Riot

With Heyneke Meyer now in charge, the Boks finally banked another win over the Australians Down Under in the 2013 Rugby Championship clash in Brisbane.

The men in Green and Gold were lethal in the feisty affair, scoring four tries while restricting an ill-disciplined Wallabies side to four Christian Leali’ifano penalty goals to claim a 38-12 win, their biggest-ever over the Aussies in kangaroo country.

Coenie Oosthuizen powered over for the opening try, with captain Jean de Villiers, Zane Kirchner and Willie le Roux – playing on the right wing – also dotting down, while Steyn added 18 points off the tee. 

Moodie Soars Onto The Scene

Captain Siya Kolisi led by example and teenage wing Canan Moodie had a dream debut as the Boks broke a nine-year drought Down Under with a commanding 24-8 win in Sydney in 2022.

Rassie Erasmus’ charges brought unstoppable intensity and brutality to the table with Kolisi personifying the passion, physicality, desire, desperation and domination that saw South Africa come good on the night after back-to-back defeats had wiped away the joy of a Rugby Championship-opening triumph over the All Blacks.

The Boks drew first blood through Damian de Allende before Moodie produced the moment of the match when he leapt over Marika Koroibete to pluck Jaden Hendrikse’s pinpoint kick out of the air and race in for a spectacular maiden Test try just before halftime.

Franco Mostert and Makazole Mapimpi also crossed the whitewash while Damian Willemse and Frans Steyn slotted a conversion apiece. A penalty goal by Noah Lolesio and a late try by Pete Samu were all the Wallabies could muster.

Quintin van Jaarsveld

Quintin Van Jaarsveld is a former MDDA-Sanlam SA Local Sports Journalist of the Year and a former three-time Vodacom KwaZulu-Natal Sports Journalist of the Year. Formerly the sports editor and Outstanding Journalist of the Year award winner at The Fever Media Group, deputy editor at eHowzit, editor at SARugby.com and senior staff writer at Rugby365.com, he boasts over 15 years’ experience and is currently a freelance sports writer.