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South Africa and Australia have played out a tense fifth-round Rugby Championship match at Loftus Versfeld, with the Springboks running out eventual winners by 18 points to 10 in Pretoria.
All the wash-up from Springboks vs Wallabies:
» LORD: Steyn’s boot sinks wasteful Wallabies
» Match report: Wallabies fall short
» McMahon injures ankle
» What changes should the Wallabies make for Argentina?
» DIY player ratings
» Re-live all the action with our live blog
» Watch highlights from the match
The Springboks will be ecstatic to arrest their form slide after losing their past three matches away from home, and give their fans something to smile about back on home soil – while the Wallabies will be left ruing having let a chance to claim a historic first win in Pretoria pass them by.
Execution
Both sides were guilty at times of some unforced errors, a forward pass here, careless knock on there, but I felt this was a killer at times for the Wallabies, particularly in the first 20 of the second half.
Several grand attacking opportunities went amiss through poor handling or failure to clean the ruck and would be frustrating for the group as a whole and disappointing given the improvements the side had made recently.
Accuracy with ball in hand will be a consideration for Coach Michael Cheika and his squad as they now look to London and their last match against Argentina.
Defence
Both sides will be reasonably happy with their work tonight, in particular the Springboks who showed more commitment and intensity in this area than in previous weeks, perhaps the entire season.
Francois Louw played his best game of the year and along with Captain Adrian Strauss, was a menace for the Wallabies all night.
Given the injuries suffered as well which resulted in Jaco Kriel filling in on the wing for a quarter of the game, a good all-round effort.
Set piece
Clear wins here for South Africa as the Wallaby lineout woes resurfaced, losing three and under pressure on several occasions while the replacement front row was dominated by their opposites.
Referee Wayne Barnes was hard on James Slipper who struggled up against the Springboks’ Julian Redelinghuys and Tom Robertson had a hard time when he came on for his time from the bench.
The scrum was an issue for the Wallabies in the last quarter of the match with scrappy ball and conceding penalties allowing the Springboks to gain the ascendency at crucial stages.
Morne Steyn
Love him or hate him, he was a major influence towards the Springboks victory, converting four of his five penalty attempts and nailing two drop kicks, scoring all of the South Africans’ points.
His kicking game and game management was crucial to the Springboks’ effort and will afford Coach Allister Coetzee some relief in an area the Springboks have struggled in 2016.
The Springbok attack still looks stagnant at times but is an area that can be built upon as combinations settle.
Israel Folau
Even for the staunchest Folau supporter, his recent form will cause concern. There is no doubting the man’s ability but he is not the force he could and probably should be.
Too often he is placing his side under pressure with poor options, particularly with ball in hand where his side is too often placed under pressure through an attempted offload and carrying too far, allowing himself to get isolated and in trouble.
Perhaps it is a case of trying too hard at times but the Wallabies need to get Folau firing and back in top form.
Five major talking points from me to consider from this Test match – what would be your discussion points, Roarers?
Join The Roar rugby editor Christy Doran, former Wallaby Matt Toomua and a cast of regular and special guests as they look at the biggest issues in the game on The Roar Rugby Podcast. If you’re looking for great odds on the next game check out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Chances are you’re about to lose. Set a deposit limit.