South Africa blitz woeful Australia in tempestuous Rugby Championship Test

If the Wallabies want to win consecutive Tests for the first time in 12 months they will have to do it against the All Blacks after a woeful performance against South Africa that lost them the Test in Sydney and squandered all the momentum and goodwill built in Adelaide.

With New Zealand demolishing Argentina 53-3 earlier on Saturday, Australia had a golden chance to put daylight between them and their rivals in the Rugby Championship. Instead they are left bogged on two wins and two defeats like the rest of the field and facing the steepest climb of anyone, with only back-to-back Tests against the All Blacks ahead of them.

In a brand new stadium festooned in green and gold lights and heaving with hometown fans, the Wallabies fluffed their opening night lines and butchered a celebratory occasion with a showing that will have coaching staff tearing out their hair.

The first Spring Test had sprung bitterly cold and windy, with fine misting rain swirling in to defy the “100% drip line roof” on the new stadium. As they do, the Wallabies fans swept in late but the rain and cold kept a chunk of fair-weather fans away. It meant the 38,292 crowd, plenty of them South African, didn’t match the 41,906 at the NRL the night before.

That may have been a mercy. Australia were awful, barely firing a shot all night.

Gone was the fierce running and fluid sleight of hand seen in Adelaide. Instead all the Wallabies’ worst habits mutated and multiplied. They were reckless when they should have been prudent and too often panicked when calm was called for. They kicked when they should have run, and ran when they should have kicked. The penalty count was a cricket score.

Stung by the criticisms he had “killed a little bit of rugby’s soul”