Wallabies bounce Springboks into touch

Sunday 20 July 2008

Australia have inflicted a second defeat in three games on the Springboks in this year's Tri-Nations championship with a 16-9 victory, as the world champions produced an uncharacteristically error-prone performance in Perth.

PERTH, July 19 (Reuters) - A pair of tries by Lote Tuqiri
and Stirling Mortlock carried Australia to a 16-9 victory over
South Africa in their Tri-nations match on Saturday.
 

The Springboks, who ended New Zealand's five-year unbeaten
run at home last weekend in Dunedin, were tormented by a host of
errors and a failure to convert the chances they created.
 

The top-class Australian loose trio, led by Rocky Elsom,
gave a commanding display at the breakdown, where the Wallabies
won a steady supply of quick ball.
 

South Africa won an early penalty, converted by centre
Francois Steyn, but Australia led from the 35th minute after a
try by wing Tuqiri.
 

Captain Mortlock scored five minutes after halftime, flyhalf
Matt Giteau kicked a penalty and centre Berrick Barnes added the
finishing touches with a late drop goal.
 

Steyn added another penalty for South Africa, as did flyhalf
Butch James.
 

The Springboks let Australia off the hook three times in the
first half when they wasted clear try-scoring chances and the
world champions lurched from error to error throughout the
match.
 

The Wallabies also had a high error count in the first half,
but scored after lock Nathan Sharpe stole a lineout. Flank
George Smith took a deep lineout throw and put wing Peter Hynes
through a gap. After recycling the ball, it was just a matter of
shipping it to Tuqiri on the left wing.
 

Mortlock burst through centre Jean de Villiers and muscled
his way over the line past two tacklers to give Australia a
flying start to the second half.
 

Giteau kicked his penalty five minutes later, prompting a
flurry of activity from the Springboks, but two penalties were
all they could garner as they turned over far too much
possession.
 

Barnes put the result beyond doubt with his drop goal in the
final minute.