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Morne Steyn placed the Wallabies on red alert with a record pointscoring haul in South Africa’s 31-19 Tri Nations victory over New Zealand in Durban on Saturday.
The sharp-shooting Steyn contributed all 31 points from a try, conversion and eight penalty goals as the unbeaten Springboks claimed their second win in as many weeks over the All Blacks to go outright top of the ladder in the southern hemisphere championship.
In a deadly display, Steyn’s only miss from 10 attempts came in the final minute, the flyhalf’s tally surpassing All Blacks great Andrew Mehrtens’s Tri Nations record of 29 points notched against Australia in Auckland in 1999.
The Wallabies take on South Africa in Cape Town next Saturday and assistant coach Jim Williams – in charge until Robbie Deans arrives on Wednesday night following his father’s funeral in New Zealand – said discipline loomed as a major factor at Newlands.
“We certainly can’t afford to make any mistakes in our own half. That was one of the biggest thing we learnt,” Williams told AAP after watching the Springboks victory with the Australia squad at their Cape Town hotel.
“Obviously some of those penalties are up to interpretation, but the Springboks still put themselves in that position to get those penalties.
“Anywhere near the halfway line, you’ve got to be a little bit worried.
“So it’s just a matter of trusting your own defensive systems and certainly making sure that you’re in a good body position at the breakdown.”
The Wallabies were thoroughly impressed by the world champions’ clinical performance and departed for dinner under no illusions about the challenge they face at Newlands, where Australia haven’t won since 1992.
“I don’t know whether the Boks got that much advantage over the All Blacks, but what they did well was claim position and territory and put pressure on the All Blacks really well,” Wallabies captain Stirling Mortlock said.
“The Boks are also extremely comfortable with the way they’re playing. They all know exactly what they are trying to achieve and they’re doing it really, really well and efficiently.
“So, for us, that really solid performance just reinforces our mindset of what we need to do.
“We need to build pressure, be disciplined in how we do things and be consistent at the breakdown.”
The All Blacks led the Springboks 10-3 early at the ABSA Stadium thanks to a try to lock Isaac Ross and the conversion and a penalty to flyhalf Stephen Donald.
But the Boks struck back with a succession of penalties plus their only try of the game close to halftime, when Steyn evaded Donald and All Blacks halfback Jimmy Cowan to cross, to lead 22-13 at the break.
As the two sides traded further penalties in the second half, the nine-point margin remained until 10 minutes before fulltime when Steyn fittingly had the final say to ensure the Springboks defeated the All Blacks on consecutive weekends for the first time in 33 years.
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.