Beale boot steals it at the death
Sun, 05 Sep 2010 11:20
Rocky Elsom and the trophy they took off the Boks. (c) Gallo
A long-range penalty goal by fullback Kurtley Beale with the last kick of the match enabled Australia to defeat South Africa 41-39 in a thrilling Tri-Nations match in Bloemfontein on Saturday.
In the process they scored five tries to three and pocketed the Nelson Mandela Plate, while the Springboks, shamefacedly picked up the Tri-Nations Wooden Spoon.
Hats off to the Wallabies!
They showed the grit and determination of a great rugby team. Just when it seemed the tide had turned against them as the Springboks dominated and scored 30 points to their nil, and just when they were reduced to 14 men, they turned round, fought back and won.
Whatever the result, it was a thriller of a match - the unpredictability of it, the tries, the seesaw, the fightback and then the last minute victory when the chips were down.
The game is a game of consequences. The Springboks conceded just two penalties in the second half and those two in the last eight minutes. From them the Wallabies scored the 10 points which gave them victory. They were two unfortunate penalties, conceded through trying to do the right thing, not through cheating, but they still yielded victory to the Wallabies.
At one stage déjà vu seemed to reign supreme. Bloemfontein became a place of miracles. Then came those last eight minutes. For 47 minutes the Wallabies had not scored a point. It seemed like Pretoria all over but this time they had a late, defining burst. That was also a part of déjà vu. As the Springboks surrendered a winning position by allowing the All Blacks to score 12 points in the last two minutes, so they surrendered a winning position in Bloemfontein, allowing the Wallabies 10 points in the last eight minutes.
As in Pretoria the Springboks started the match yielding points. In 25 minutes they had conceded four tries and 31 points. If you have lived a long life in South Africa, you will not have seen that and you will not have heard the Springboks, particularly one of them, booed in Bloemfontein.
The one who got the boos was Bryan Habana, so often a hero. But he had a hand in much of the Wallaby scoring and was eventually replaced by Gio Aplon.
Habana was the first player penalised in the match. He tried to run a deep kick into the Springbok 22 but Adam Ashley-Cooper caught him, he held on and Matt Giteau made the score 3-0 after just one minute.
As they did several times in the match the Springboks went through phases. Pierre Spies broke, Jaque Fourie and John Smit carried it on and Schalk Burger was close. Kurtley Beale, a hero in the end, conceded a penalty and Morné Steyn of the immaculate boot goaled - 3-3 after 5 minutes.
In the next 20 minutes the Wallabies outplayed the lethargic, uninterested, bewildered Springboks. The visitors were direct, calm, cohesive, confident and they racked up the points.
The Wallabies went wide - a more effective tactic than playing the phases, it seems. Even though Jean de Villiers was in position to tackle, Habana came inside, as he had done against the All Blacks when Richie McCaw scored his try. The wing fell and Beale had nobody to beat as he went over for the try. That made it 10-3 after eight minutes.
The Wallabies came back on the attack when Will Genia broke, Rocky Elsom had a gallop and the Wallabies forced an attacking lineout, Springbok ball. Smit's throw went right over the lineout. The Wallabies got the ball and Ashley-Cooper fed James O'Connor who had no-one to mark him because Habana had again gone inside. 17-3 after 14 minutes.
Morné Steyn goaled a penalty and from the kick-off Jaque Fourie ran 40 metres but it was the Wallabies who scored next. Drew Mitchell broke off an inside pass from Giteau, Beale carried it on and Stephen Moore drove through Habana to score to make it 24-6.
In the match the Wallabies were able to take five quick throw-ins from kicks by the Steyns. The first one produced a simple try. O'Connor evaded Habana, drew Morné Steyn and gave to Elsom who charged 23 metres to the posts as François Hougaard tried to rein him in. 31-6. This set the crowd abooing.
The Springboks went back to phases and from a five-metre scrum Spies drove to the posts but was penalised for holding on.
A penalty gave the Wallabies an attacking lineout from which Elsom, Benin Robinson and Mitchell were close.
The Springboks went back to phases and then came a remarkable moment. There was a tackle ruck. Victor Matfield picked up, raced ahead, chipped, caught the ball on the full and, as Quade Cooper tackled him from behind, gave the ball to Fourie who scored. The half-time siren had already sounded but this made the score 31-13 at the break and then after 14 minutes of the second half it was 31-30.
First a penalty to the Springboks gave them a five-metre lineout and they bashed. Burger was close and then Gurthrö Steenkamp charged, wildebeest-style, through three Wallabies to score near the posts - 31-20 and then 31-23 with another penalty.
The Springboks attacked through phases but Elsom won a turnover that was disastrous. Beale passed the ball back high and over his dead-ball line. The Springboks spun the ball from the five-metre scrum, De Villiers cut back and ricocheted off three Wallabies to score under the bar. 31-30 after 54 minutes, and it was the turn of the Wallabies to look unsure of themselves.
Ben McCalman was penalised at a tackle and, mirabile narratu, the Springboks led 33-31 with 20 minutes to play.
When replacement hooker Saia Fainga'a executed a tip tackle on Flip van der Merwe, he was penalised and sent to the sin bin. Morné Steyn made it 36-31 with 12 minutes to go, the Springboks well on top and the Wallabies reduced to 14 men.
Then the Wallabies stood up, and every man played his part.
The Wallabies threw in to the front of a lineout. Elsom tried to pass, Chiliboy Ralepelle knocked on and Van der Merwe played it in front of him. Replacement scrumhalf Luke Burgess tapped the penalty, Berrick Barnes snapped a pass inside to Drew Mitchell and the strong wing dived over under the posts. Simple as that. Giteau had been replaced by Barnes and O'Connor kicked the conversion. That made it 38-36 with eight minutes to play.
The tension in Bloemfontein spread throughout the country.
There was a tackle and Anthony Fainga'a went in the side. From four metres inside the Wallaby half and five metres from touch, Morné Steyn kicked it over. 39-38 with four minutes to play.
The Springboks had a scrum and with only seconds left they set about close-quarter bashing to end the game, but Van der Merwe was penalised for going to ground on the ball-carrier and from just inside his half Beale sent the kick flying high and over to win the match.
Thus ended a thriller of a Test.
Man of the Match: On the Springbok side there were Gurthrö Steenkamp, Jaque Fourie and Morné Steyn of the metronomic boot. For Australia there was the heroism of Rocky Elsom, the cleverness of James O'Connor, Matt Giteau and that great kick by Kurtley Beale on an evening when not a kick at goal was missed. Our choice of Man of the Match is noble Rocky Elsom.
Moment of the Match: Kurtley Beale's long-range winner.
Villain of the Match: Saia Fainga'a, who has been cited and suspended for two weeks.
The scorers:
For South Africa:
Tries: Fourie, Steenkamp, De Villiers
Cons: M Steyn 3
Pens: Steyn 6
For Australia:
Tries: Beale, O'Connor, Moore, Elsom, Mitchell
Cons: Giteau 4, O'Connor
Pens: Giteau, Beale
Yellow card: Saia Fainga'a (Australia, 68 - foul play, spear tackle)
The teams:
South Africa: 15 François Steyn, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 François Hougaard, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Juan Smith, 6 Schalk Burger, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Danie Rossouw, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 John Smit (captain), 1 Gurthrö Steenkamp.
Replacements: 16 Chiliboy Ralepelle, 17 CJ van der Linde, 18 Flip van der Merwe, 19 Ryan Kankowski, 20 Ricky Januarie, 21 Juan de Jongh, 22 Gio Aplon.
Australia: 15 Kurtley Beale, 14 James O'Connor, 13 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 12 Matt Giteau, 11 Drew Mitchell, 10 Quade Cooper, 9 Will Genia, 8 Ben McCalman, 7 David Pocock, 6 Rocky Elsom (captain), 5 Nathan Sharpe, 4 Mark Chisholm, 3 Salesi Ma'afu, 2 Stephen Moore, 1 Benin Robinson.
Replacements: 16 Saia Fainga'a, 17 James Slipper, 18 Dean Mumm, 19 Richard Brown, 20 Luke Burgess, 21 Berrick Barnes, 22 Anthony Fainga'a.
Referee: Wayne Barnes (England)
Assistant referees: Nigel Owens (Wales), Simon McDowell (Ireland)
TMO: Johann Meuwesen (South Africa)
By Paul Dobson