Rugby: Springboks beaten 42-38 in Perth by an Australia side reduced to eleven players
South Africa fell 42-38 to Australia on Sunday, September 27, 2026, at Optus Stadium in Perth, according to the South African daily IOL. It was a cruel scenario for the Springboks, who came within reach of a comeback in the final minutes while the Wallabies, decimated by yellow cards, had only eleven players left on the field.
A promising first quarter, then a slump
The world champions had started the match in the best possible way, with a try from Johan Grobbelaar in the 9th minute from a rolling maul, reports IOL. But Len Ikitau turned the tide with two quick-fire tries (23rd and 26th), before Ben Donaldson extended the lead in the 38th. Despite a response from Edwill van der Merwe (29th), South Africa went into the break trailing 24-17, a halftime score confirmed by the South African federation SA Rugby and the Australian broadcaster ABC.
In the second half, Harry Wilson (59th) and then Max Jorgensen (63rd) brought the number of Australian tries to five. The South Africans then produced their best rugby: Morne van den Berg scored in the 73rd minute and prop Ox Nche concluded the match with a try in the 80th, without managing to close the gap.
Eleven Australians on the pitch, and victory nonetheless
The most frustrating part for the Boks lies in this detail noted by IOL: the Wallabies finished the game with eleven players, sanctioned by a series of yellow cards in the final quarter, yet they held on. The hosts dominated possession (57%) and territory (52%), according to statistics published by RugbyPass.
This defeat does not change the world rankings. Still according to RugbyPass, South Africa remains number one in the international standings with 95.09 points and keeps its rank ahead of New Zealand. Head coach Rassie Erasmus had deeply reshuffled his team for this trip, a choice that will fuel debate until the November tour.
For African rugby, the benchmark remains high: the Springboks remain the global showcase of a continent of which they are, at this level, the only regular representative. All the more reason for this Perth setback to be quickly digested.
This article was written in French with the help of artificial intelligence from the sources cited below, then translated from French automatically. Read the original.
