11-man Australia hangs on to upset South Africa 42-38 in extraordinary rugby test

PERTH, Australia (AP) — Australia hung on for an extraordinary 42-38 upset win over rugby World Cup champion South Africa on Sunday despite being reduced to 11 men against 15 during the last 10 minutes.

The Wallabies were leading 42-17 after winger Max Jorgensen swooped on a Springboks error and then sprinted 60 meters to score in the 64th minute. The momentum was all going the way of Australia, until the Wallabies lost four players to yellow cards in a dramatic finish as South Africa responded with three late tries.

“It was a crazy last 10 minutes,” Australia captain Harry Wilson, the first of the four players sent to the sin bin, said in a post-match television interview. “But that first 70 minutes, the way we played, we implemented our game plan. We did exactly what we wanted.”

Springboks center Andre Esterhuizen, who was leading the South Africa lineup in Perth, said it was an intense game and “quite quick for a test match.”

The Wallabies “capitalized on all our errors and I think discipline let us down, especially in that first half,” he said. “We let them in too many times and that really hurt us.”

Outside center Len Ikitau scored two tries in three minutes to help Australia take a 24-17 halftime lead in the Springboks’ first test since beating the All Blacks in the so-called Greatest Rivalry series earlier this month.

The top-ranked Springboks made 13 changes to the starting lineup from their 43-28 win over the New Zealand All Blacks at Baltimore two weeks ago, with only lock Eben Etzebeth and winger Ethan Hooker retaining their starting roles from the team that clinched the series 3-1.

Despite the overhaul, the back-to-back Rugby World Cup winners jumped to a 10-3 lead after 10 minutes in Perth before the Australians rallied on a pair of tries from Ikitau in the 23rd and 27th minutes and took charge — until a finish that Wallabies coach Les Kiss described as “bizarre.”

Italian referee Andrea Piardi, at times communicating with television match official Matteo Liperini via a mobile phone because regular communication equipment was failing, went to his pocket four times.

First, No. 8 Wilson was sent to the sin bin for a high tackle in the 69th minute after a video review. He was quickly followed by scrumhalf Ryan Lonergan, who was yellow-carded for a professional foul for diving into the back of a ruck and conceding a penalty try in the 71st.

Winger Joseph-Aukuso Sua’ali’i was sent off on review, after a Springboks try was disallowed, for being in an offside position, and center Hunter Paisami was sent off, also after a video review, for a high tackle in the lead up to what appeared to be an against-the-run-of-play intercept try to Tom Wright. That try, which would have given Australia a 47-31 lead in the 76th minute, was overturned. Instead, it left Australia with 11 players trying to defend an 11-point lead with four minutes remaining.

The margin was reduced to four points when replacement frontrower Ox Nche crashed over in the last minute, setting up a frantic final few seconds. Australia clung to victory when the Springboks ran out of time.

Kiss, who is unbeaten in five tests in charge of the Wallabies, said his players and coaching staff remained calm despite the late yellow cards.

“In those moments, you’ve just got to hold your nerve and stay clear about what you want to do and I think they did that. A bizarre finish,” he said in a TV interview. “But I don’t want us to forget about the first 60. I think it was a really important step up for us to take that game forward, control the game and really be brave and attack the game.”

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