Boks draw high-octane match with Australia

[caption id="attachment_224106" align="aligncenter" width="630"] Elton Jantjies of the Springboks misses the final kick during the Rugby Championship 2017 match between South Africa and Australia in Bloemfontein
Picture: Anton Geyser / Gallo Images[/caption]

The Mandela Plate will return to Australia for a third straight year after a high-octane match ended in a 27-27 stalemate yet again between these two evenly matched sides.

Springbok flyhalf Elton Jantjies had a chance to win the game with a penalty in the 79th minute from a tight angle‚ but he pulled it wide and the moment was gone.

The Boks played with a ball-in-hand approach as they tried to run Australia ragged from the outset‚ hoping that high altitude would assist them in in the final quarter.

The Wallabies‚ though‚ were up to the task and despite having to make 171 tackles in the match‚ finished strongly to leave the Boks needing to beat the All Blacks next week to claw something out of the Rugby Championship.

It was a game that burst into life after halftime with four tries scored in the third quarter with the lead swapping four times.

Prop Ruan Dreyer‚ centre Jan Serfontein and wing Courtnall Skosan scored tries for the Boks while Israel Folau‚ Marika Koroibete and Kurtley Beale scored for the Wallabies.

Jantjies contributed 12 points as did Wallaby flyhalf Bernard Foley in came that was played on a knife’s edge throughout.

South Africa 27 (10) Australia 27 (13)

Scorers:

South Africa – Tries: Ruan Dreyer‚ Jan Serfontein‚ Courtnall Skosan. Conversions: Elton Jantjies (2): Penalties: Jantjies:

Australia – Tries: Israel Folau‚ Marika Koroibete‚ Kurtley Beale. Conversions: Bernard Foley (3). Penalties: Foley (2).

- TimesLIVE