Key events
17 mins: “This ref is very quick to call a jackal penalty,” emails James in Wellington. “If I was Aussie I’d feel hard done by for that penalty leading to the try. But I’m a Kiwi so enjoying the schadenfreude.”
15 mins: The Springboks do just that, winning lineout ball, resetting, and clearing 40m. From near halfway the Wallabies try to find some combinations to wrongfoot the visiting defence but it’s all a bit too cute for Paenga-Amosa who knocks on.
13 mins: The first scrum of the match is fed by the Wallabies. It remains even, allowing Australia to attack from right touchline to left but there’s no penetration through a well marshalled defensive line. Wright dinks a kick over the back and into the right corner to force South Africa to reply from deep in their own territory.
CONVERTED TRY! Australia 3-10 South Africa (Grobbelaar, 10)
Textbook Springbok rugby! The 5m lineout is solid, the maul forms quickly, and despite Australia’s best efforts South Africa retain control, swing inside and Grobbelaar crashes over. It doesn’t matter if it’s the first XV, second, or third, the set piece DNA is irresistible.
Pollard clips over the extras.
8 mins: Once that’s resolved South Africa create a little panic from the restart but the Wallabies regroup and Lonergan box kicks to halfway on the right. The Springboks nail the lineout and de Villiers hits the line hard. There’s quick ball for a series of short phases as the attack reaches the 22, whereupon Pollard dabs a little grubber through that is swallowed up by the home defence, but Lonergan is isolated on the ground and there’s another turnover penalty. South Africa kick to the left corner.
7 mins: Now there’s a delay to fix a breakdown in communication between Piardi and the TMO.
Penalty! Australia 3-3 South Africa (Lonergan, 7)
Australia’s scrum-half kicks truly and the scores are level.
5 mins: Australia get their hands on the ball on halfway off a lineout. With penalty advantage they break down the short side, the left, with Wilson crossing the gainline. Bell is in support, as is Suaalii, but South Africa get back in numbers and play is recalled for a long-range shot at goal. Can Lonergan match Pollard from near halfway? He has more of an angle to contend with.
Penalty! Australia 0-3 South Africa (Pollard, 4)
And superboot Pollard strokes over a mighty penalty from near halfway. What a weapon his goal-kicking is.
2 mins: South Africa settle things down on the left hand side, make ground with a well positioned kick, but as they try to recycle on the 22 they are penalised at the breakdown. Australia kick to halfway, win the lineout easily but as they try to expand infield Donaldson is absolutely dumped by Moodie – that was huge! The Wallabies try to keep the attack moving but they are on the backfoot and it’s no surprise when the Springboks force the turnover on the ground. It’s 50m from the posts but it looks like Pollard is going for three early points.
1 min: … and straight away the flying Suaalii leaps and claims a spectacular mark! But he’s immediately penalised on the ground. Nonetheless that was an eyecatching opening.
Kick-off!
Ben Donaldson kicks us under way…
There are plenty of South African fans in the stands singing along to Nkosi Sikelel’ iAfrika. There is a healthy South African diaspora in Western Australia.
Kick-off is imminent.
Both sides are wearing their traditional jerseys this evening, Australia in gold, South Africa green. And the two sets of players are met with muted applause as they jog into the middle of Optus Stadium.
Tonight’s referee is Andrea Piardi. The Italian did not endear himself to Wallaby fans last year when he featured prominently in narrow Australian defeats to the All Blacks and British & Irish Lions. I’m sure the cheerleaders former internationals on Australian television coverage won’t be reminding us of that every time a decision goes South Africa’s way.
It’s a massive opportunity to challenge a fantastic team that is second to none in the world. An opportunity to challenge ourselves too. We won’t shy away; we’ll take it on. This 80 minutes will be a representation of where we’re at – and who we are.
That’s Wallabies coach Les Kiss, who had a chat with our own Angus Fontaine last week.
“The focus for us is physicality,” puffs Rob Valetini as he makes his way down the tunnel after the warm-up. He also suggested new winger Suaalii would be used as an aerial target.
The individual under the most scrutiny today will be Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii. The 23 year old rugby league recruit has been Australia’s poster boy since his high profile code switch in 2024, performing solidly in the centres in 22 internationals without setting the world alight. He lines up on the wing today, with Hunter Paisami partnering John Eales Medal winner Len Ikitau in the midfield.
The Australian camp have been keen to stress this isn’t a demotion but an opportunity to get the powerful runner into the action in areas where he has more room to express himself. Michael Hooper on TV says he expects Suaalii to swing off his wing at times to provide attacking impetus, especially on the counter when he isn’t required to hold width as an aerial target.
Competition for places in the Wallaby backline is fierce – and that’s before the returning Mark Nawaqanitawase comes into the equation – with Jordan Petaia and Zac Lomax also looming as possible World Cup wildcards.
Evening conditions in Perth are fine. Temperatures are in the high teens, there’s little wind, and despite a few showers blowing through during the day there should be no concerns over the playing surface. It is an oval stadium designed for cricket and Australian Rules football so the crowd is a little way back from the touchlines.
The Wallabies are enjoying their first five-match unbeaten streak since 2021, a run that includes a morale boosting series victory in Argentina.
The Springboks are coming off a monumental four match series against the All Blacks. Their 3-1 victory further cemented their status as World Cup favourites.
Team News
Australia: The Wallabies’ travails at No 10 continue with Carter Gordon breaking his leg against the Pumas last time out. Les Kiss considered veterans James O’Connor and Bernard Foley as replacements but opted instead for Ben Donaldson. There is no replacement five-eighth on the bench with Kiss opting for a 6-2 interchange split.
Those younger guys, we’re trying to make sure we get them upskilled, [have] them understand how they can lead the game and drive it forward.
Part of the thinking was ensuring that those guys can have a bit of blue sky and make sure they take the team and the game forward the way that we’d like to. And we know that we can always, always lean back into the experience if we need to.
Donaldson will be invited to organise an increasingly settled and formidable looking squad. The only experiment to the starting XV tonight sees regular centre Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii starting on the wing.
In-form lock Josh Canham was named in the original run-on side but was ruled out yesterday with a minor hamstring strain. Lukhan Salakaia-Loto takes the No 4 jersey with Lachie Shaw coming onto the bench.
Springboks: The bruising four match clash against New Zealand included a deciding contest in Baltimore just a fortnight ago, so it came as little surprise when Rassie Erasmus named a virtual second XV for this standalone fixture, making 13 changes to his starting XV. Among the big names watching from home or in the Optus Stadium stands will be Siya Kolisi, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Damian de Allende, Jesse Kriel and Thomas du Toit.
We rolled the dice a little bit against the All Blacks by [selecting] consistently the same team. We obviously were getting some momentum as [the series went] on longer, but if we keep on doing that, how would we know when we get to the Nations Championship at the end of the year, or at the World Cup next year, what can the next guy do?
South Africa XV
Springboks: 15. Aphelele Fassi, 14. Edwill van der Merwe, 13. Canan Moodie, 12. Andre Esterhuizen (c), 11. Ethan Hooker, 10. Handre Pollard, 9. Herschel Jantjies, 8. Marco van Staden, 7. Elrigh Louw, 6. Paul de Villiers, 5. Franco Mostert, 4. Eben Etzebeth, 3. Zachary Porthen, 2. Johan Grobbelaar, 1. Jan-Hendrik Wessels.
Replacements: 16. Malcolm Marx, 17. Ox Nche, 18. Wilco Louw, 19. Lood de Jager, 20. Jasper Wiese, 21. Morne van den Berg, 22. Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 23. Quan Horn.
Australia XV
Wallabies: 1. Angus Bell 2. Brandon Paenga-Amosa 3. Allan Alaalatoa 4. Lukhan Salakaia-Loto, 5. Jeremy Williams 6. Rob Valetini 7. Fraser McReight 8. Harry Wilson (c) 9. Ryan Lonergan 10. Ben Donaldson 11. Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii 12. Hunter Paisami 13. Len Ikitau 14. Max Jorgensen 15. Tom Wright.
Interchange: 16. Billy Pollard 17. Aidan Ross 18. Taniela Tupou 19. Lachie Shaw, 20. Tom Hooper 21. Carlo Tizzano 22. Tate McDermott 23. Harry Potter
With The Rugby Championship on hiatus and this fixture falling outside the Nations Championship windows, the prize on offer tonight is the Mandela Challenge Plate. First fought over in 2000, the Springboks have held the trophy since 2023.
Jack Snape
Sunday night’s clash between the Wallabies and South Africa in Perth marks a year from the start of the home World Cup, which will kick off with the Wallabies playing at the same venue.
The date with the mighty Springboks is also the first match under Wallabies coach Les Kiss against one of the traditional rugby powers.
Preamble
Jonathan Howcroft
Hello everybody and welcome to live coverage of Australia v South Africa from Perth. Kick-off at Optus Stadium is scheduled for 5.45pm local time (7.45pm AEST).
On paper this is a mismatch: the Springboks, the standout side in the sport, against the seventh-ranked Wallabies, a team with just one win against either South Africa or New Zealand in four years. But on the field the Boks will be showcasing their second string, and they will be facing an Australian team on a rare five-game unbeaten run under the stewardship of new coach Les Kiss.
After years in the doldrums the Wallabies are on an upward trajectory with Kiss building on the foundations laid by predecessor, Joe Schmidt. There is now Test quality all over the park, an abundance of weapons, and plenty of depth. Albeit with one significant caveat: the absence of a leading fly-half.
After putting 50 points on Italy and Japan over the winter, Australia found their level with a narrow victory and a draw away to Argentina. They will take confidence into a spring program featuring the Springboks in Perth and a Bledisloe Cup double header, before rounding off the year with a four game tour of the northern hemisphere.
While the Wallabies might be on their way up, the Springboks are already at the very summit. Their World Rugby rating is second only to the 2016 All Blacks and they’ve tuned up by defeating New Zealand 3-1 in a blockbuster series.
But the Greatest Rivalry™️ took its toll and in its aftermath Rassie Erasmus has decided to rest a host of star names. Will that mean a demonstration of his side’s fearsome strength in depth? Or will it allow Australia the chance to put the rugby world on notice?
I’ll be back with final team lists and more shortly. Please send me your emails and keep me company throughout the evening. The address is jonathan.howcroft.freelance@theguardian.com.
Source: https://www.theguardian.com/sport/live/2026/sep/27/aus-vs-sa-australia-wallabies-v-south-africa-springboks-rugby-union-test-live-updates
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