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Springboks overrun Wallabies in Tri Nations thriller at Loftus Versfeld
From David Beniuk in Pretoria, South Africa
August 29, 2010 The Wallabies have failed again at altitude in South Africa, losing 44-31 to the Springboks in the Tri Nations Test in Pretoria after scoring three tries to lead 21-7 inside 10 minutes.
The Wallabies led-28-24 at half-time but poor handling and lineout work cruelled their hopes of recording a first Test win in Pretoria, and the desperate Springboks notched their first win of the series in Victor Matfield's 100th Test in front of 43,152 at his home ground of Loftus Versfeld.
Australia remain without a win on the high veldt since 1963, when Ken Catchpole inspired an 11-9 win at Ellis Park, Johannesburg.
Victory moved South Africa off the bottom of the table, while the Wallabies suffered their third consecutive loss after starting with their campaign with victory over South Africa in Brisbane.
Wallabies skipper Rocky Elsom bemoaned a lack of second-half possession.
"Although we got off to a flier, the Boks retaliated just as fast," he said.
"In the second half, we did not retain possession enough to win."
Australia coch Robbie Deans said his team's failure to retain possession at the tackle area was one of the main reasons they lost.
"First and foremost, we did not hold on to the ball long enough and we turned over more ball to the opposition," Deans said.
"It was a game we could have won, and that is immensely frustrating when looking at the history here."
Springboks and Bulls hero Matfield, meanwhile, paid tribute to the fans in Pretoria.
"I have had an unbelievable career and to reach 100 caps at Loftus Versfeld is wonderful," Matfield said.
"These fans are my people, and I want to thank them very much."
The Wallabies scored four tries to three in the first half, opening their account when halfback Will Genia dummied and scored in the third minute before James O'Connor bagged the first of a brace after a scintillating 60-metre run by Kurtley Beale in the fifth minute.
Springboks flanker Juan Smith powered through some threadbare defence, after a Wallabies forward pass in the ninth minute, but O'Connor pounced when Bryan Habana dropped the kick-off and Australia led 21-7.
South Africa reduced the margin to seven points when prop Gurthro Steenkamp burrowed over in the 14th minute, after Wallabies hooker Saia Fainga'a had been penalised for a ruck infringement, and Springboks fly half Morne Steyn landed a penalty goal from 59 minutes six minutes later to make the score 21-17.
The Wallabies' determination to spread the ball paid off again six minutes later, with a Dean Mumm five-pointer, before Springboks No.8 Pierre Spies completed the first-half madness with a 32nd-minute try after his side had put together what seemed an endless number of phases in Australian territory.
Steyn and Matt Giteau exchanged penalty goals in the 47th and 49th minutes before the Springboks took the lead - 34-31- for the first time in the match through a Francois Steyn try a minute after Mumm had spilled a kick-off.
Boks fullback Steyn increased the lead to 37-31 with a 68th-minute penalty goal and winger J.P. Pietersen scored a try a minute from full-time, after a break from scrum half Francois Hougaard, to rub salt into Australia's wounds.
The Wallabies suffered a setback before kick-off when bench forward Scott Higginbotham was denied a chance to make his Test debut after injuring his back in the warm-up.
He was replaced by fellow Queenslander Rob Simmons.
AAP
http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,...016959,00.html