The Springboks are determined not to repeat their collapse against the Wallabies at Ellis Park last year when they face Australia in a one-off Test at Optus Stadium in Perth today (September 27) at 11:45.

Assistant coach Mzwandile Stick said the Boks had learned important lessons from the defeat, when they surrendered a 22-0 lead to concede 38 unanswered points and suffer a stunning loss, reports The Citizen..

Last year, the Boks were heavy favourites against a Wallabies side that had struggled in previous seasons but had shown signs of improvement despite losing their British and Irish Lions series 2-1.

Australia carried that form into the opening Rugby Championship match of the season and stunned the hosts on the Highveld.

The Boks raced into a 22-0 lead after just 18 minutes before their performance unravelled.

“We’ve learned a lot from what happened at Ellis Park. Probably after 20 minutes when you’re leading by 22 points and then you drift away from your plan,” Stick said.

The Boks bounced back a week later with a hard-fought 30-22 win in Cape Town, but Stick said Sunday’s match would present another stern challenge.

“Looking at their backline, they’ve got powerful runners in that centre partnership with Hunter Paisami and Len Ikitau, and they’ve selected Joseph-Aukuso Suaalii on the wing, who is strong against the kicking game.

“They are a team that showed that if you’re not good on the day, they can punish you. They’ve won three of their last five games, drawing one against Argentina, and with their new coaching staff, led by Les Kiss, there’s a renewed energy in their team, so they’re in a good space.

“The key thing for us is to stick to what works and keep getting better.”

Boks hold recent edge

The Boks have won five of their last six matches against the Wallabies and their last three in Australia.

That ended a nine-year winless run Down Under, during which the Boks lost seven matches and drew one between 2013 and 2022.

Stick said the focus would nevertheless remain on executing the Boks’ game plan rather than their recent record.

“I think for us the key thing is to make sure that we just focus on what we want to achieve in the game, in a sense of keep building our game and keep getting better at the things that we want to do,” he said.

“We take pride in how we defend, we take pride in our kicking game, and we take pride in our set pieces.”

The Test will also give several fringe players an opportunity to make their mark after the Boks’ gruelling four-week series against the All Blacks.

Stick said he was particularly pleased to see Canan Moodie and Handré Pollard return after injuries prevented them from featuring in the series.

“I’m also thrilled to see a guy like Herschel Jantjies. He’s probably only played about 25 minutes this season, but he’s been great in training sessions, so I’m very excited for him to get a chance.”

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