The Wallabies produced a smash and grab 28-26 win over the Springboks in a Rugby Championship clash at the CBUS Super Stadium in Queensland, Australia, on Sunday.
Returnee Quade Cooper was a big factor in this match producing a 100 percent kicking record.
Handre Pollard gave the Boks a 3-0 lead from a penalty in the sixth minute. It only took the Wallabies two minutes to equalise after Cooper converted a penalty.
Pollard restored the Boks’ lead after he converted a penalty in the 12th minute to make it 6-3 for the South Africans.
Again, Cooper came to the fore and converted a penalty to level matters.
Things got bad for the Boks when captain Siya Kolisi was yellow carded for a dangerous tackle on Tom Banks.
The Wallabies took the lead in the 16th minute through Andrew Kellaway’s try. Cooper converted to give the Wallabies a 13-6 lead.
The Wallabies suffered a blow when Matt Philip was yellow carded in the 27th minute.
Soon after that, the Boks scored their first try through Bongi Mbonambi. Pollard missed the conversion.
Cooper added three more points after he converted a penalty in the 33rd minute to make it 16-11.
New Zealand-born Cooper made it 19-11 after converting yet another penalty on the stroke of half time.
Both sides started the second half well and the Boks were rewarded with a penalty in the 43rd minute. But Pollard missed the penalty, which was his third miss in the game.
Pollard finally found his footing converting a penalty in the 46th minute.
Boks fullback Willie le Roux received a yellow card in the 52nd and the Wallabies increased their lead after Cooper converted a penalty a minute later.
Wallabies hooker Folau Fainga’a received a yellow card for a dangerous tackle in the 58th minute.
A minute later, Malcolm Marx crossed the try line to make it 22-19. Pollard added two more points.
Veteran flyhalf Cooper increases the Wallabies’ lead with a converted penalty in the 63rd minute.
Marx scores his second try of the match in the 72nd minute only for Damian Willemse to miss the conversion.
Cooper, who never put his foot wrong, converted a penalty at the death to give the Wallabies a win.
