It’s a draw – AGAIN!

Neither the Springboks nor the Wallabies lost in Bloemfontein as the two teams played to their second successive draw against each other in this season’s Castle Rugby Championship.

The match ended 27-all after the two teams drew 23-all in Perth a month ago.

Australia led 13-10 at half time in Bloemfontein and 27-24 with 15 minutes to play, but Elton Jantjies kicked a 45 metre angled penalty on 70 minutes to level matters and that’s the way it stayed in a frantic final period that saw both teams come close to scoring long range tries.

Jantjies had the chance to win the Test with a 78th minute penalty attempt but he missed what was a very difficult chance.

Perhaps the rugby gods dictated there should be no winner, although Australia will feel that an away draw at altitude is in itself a victory. The visitors fronted like they haven’t for some time in South Africa and it would have been cruel had they lost. They deserved something for their effort.

The Springboks will take heart that they didn’t lose but there was a hollowness about the home draw for the men in green.

The Springboks wanted to make an emphatic statement post the 57-0 result against the All Blacks but any statement relevant to that result can only come in Cape Town against the All Blacks this coming weekend.

What the Springboks and Wallabies showed is that absolutely nothing separates the two at the moment. It also was another reminder of the gulf between the All Blacks and the Rugby Championship chasing pack.

The Springboks had the early possession and played a lot of rugby but with very little threat of breaking the Australian line of defence, and it was Australia’s attack that struck through Israel Folau.

The Boks would reply quickly with a converted try and that would be consistent with the scoring throughout. When one team scored the other responded almost immediately and neither team ever led by more than one score.

It was close throughout and neither side could be criticised for effort, intent or desire. They really gave it everything and even after the final hooter both teams risked losing by trying to win through long range attacks. Neither side was prepared to settle for the draw but neither could conjure up that one magical play in those final two minutes.

Both teams scored three tries, with Courtnall Skosan rewarded for his strong running and Folau and Marika Koroibete also managing to convert their attacking threat into points.

Scorers:

South Africa

Tries: Ruan Dreyer, Jan Serfontein, Courtnall Skosan

Conversions: Elton Jantjies (3)

Penalties: Jantjies (2)

Australia

Tries: Israel Folau, Marika Koroibete (2)

Conversions: Bernard Foley (3)

Penalties: Foley (2)