Share

No comment on yellow - Meyer

Perth - South African veteran Bryan Habana's historic 100th Test ended in heartbreak and controversy as Australian wing Rob Horne scored a thrilling try in the dying minutes to snatch a thrilling 24-23 win for the Wallabies on Saturday.

As it happened: Wallabies v Springboks

Horne stepped off the wing and inside the last defender as he finished off a backline move with two minutes left, before Bernard Foley landed the crucial conversion to seal victory by a point.

Australia profited from the controversial late sin-binning of Habana as he became just the fourth Springbok to the milestone. The decisive try came just seconds before the South African was due back on the field following his yellow card for a high tackle on Adam Ashley-Cooper, which replays showed was unlucky.

Springboks coach Heyneke Meyer wouldn't be drawn on Habana's yellow card, but his mood was clear.

"I think you know the answer and I know the answer, so I'm not going to answer," he said.

"The ref is always right.

"I'm not going into it, we don't want to use it as an excuse."

The result was a surprise after the unbeaten Springboks won 38-12 on their last away game against Australia, who were coming off a 51-20 hiding in Auckland.

Teams:

Australia

15 Israel Folau, 14 Adam Ashley-Cooper, 13 Tevita Kuridrani, 12 Matt Toomua, 11 Rob Horne, 10 Bernard Foley, 9 Nick Phipps, 8 Wycliff Palu, 7 Michael Hooper (captain), 6 Scott Fardy, 5 Rob Simmons, 4 Sam Carter, 3 Sekope Kepu, 2 James Hanson, 1 James Slipper

Substitutes: 16 Josh Mann-Rea, 17 Pek Cowan, 18 Ben Alexander, 19 James Horwill, 20 Scott Higginbotham, 21 Matt Hodgson, 22 Nic White, 23 Kurtley Beale

South Africa

15 Willie le Roux, 14 Cornal Hendricks, 13 Jan Serfontein, 12 Jean de Villiers (captain), 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Marcell Coetzee, 6 Francois Louw, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Adriaan Strauss, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.

Substitutes: 16 Bismarck du Plessis, 17 Trevor Nyakane, 18 Marcel van der Merwe, 19 Lood de Jager, 20 Warren Whiteley, 21 Francois Hougaard, 22 Pat Lambie, 23 Damian de Allende


We live in a world where facts and fiction get blurred
Who we choose to trust can have a profound impact on our lives. Join thousands of devoted South Africans who look to News24 to bring them news they can trust every day. As we celebrate 25 years, become a News24 subscriber as we strive to keep you informed, inspired and empowered.
Join News24 today
heading
description
username
Show Comments ()
Voting Booth
Should Siya Kolisi keep the captaincy as the Springboks build towards their World Cup title defence in 2027?
Please select an option Oops! Something went wrong, please try again later.
Results
Yes! Siya will only be 36 at the next World Cup. He can make it!
26% - 1273 votes
No! I think the smart thing to do is start again with a younger skipper ...
29% - 1470 votes
I'd keep Siya captain for now, but look to have someone else for 2027.
45% - 2247 votes
Vote
Editorial feedback and complaints

Contact the public editor with feedback for our journalists, complaints, queries or suggestions about articles on News24.

LEARN MORE