Australia 29-9 South Africa
Australia rebounded from their record loss to New Zealand last week to beat South Africa 29-9 today and win their first Tri-nations match of the season.
Under pressure to break a three-match losing streak including last week's 50-21 defeat to the All Blacks, the Wallabies scored two unanswered tries to secure a hard-fought but largely unimpressive victory at Lang Park.
Outside centre Mat Rogers and openside flanker Phil Waugh scored tries while inside centre Elton Flatley kicked five penalties and two conversions.
Springboks flyhalf Louis Koen booted three penalties for the South Africans, who are out the running for this year's Tri-nations before their final match with New Zealand in Dunedin next week.
Australia ran away with the match in the second half after a tryless first term littered by errors and missed opportunities but their performance would have done little to silence their critics.
The Wallabies squandered at least half a dozen chances to score by taking wrong options at critical times while the Springboks blew two clear chances to score and were twice reduced to 14 men for indiscipline.
The teams went to the break locked at 6-6 after Flatley and Koen traded two penalties each.
The South Africans defended strongly against a wave of Australia attacks but the pressure finally told when hooker Danie Coetzee was sin-binned just before the break for slowing the ball down at the break.
Captain George Gregan spurned the chance to give Australia a 9-6 lead when he turned down a certain penalty but the Wallabies struck a bigger blow when Rogers scored a minute after the re-start, swooping on to a loose pass from Koen and sprinting 40 metres to score under the posts.
Flatley, who was floored by a bruising tackle from De Wet Barry in the first half, booted three more penalties to stretch the lead 13 points and put the match out of South Africa's reach.
South Africa were reduced to 14 players for a second time when prop Robbie Kempson was yellow-carded for tripping Gregan and the Australians made them pay for their indiscipline.
Flatley kicked another penalty then Waugh capped a greatpersonal performance when he scored in the right corner after asweeping move which started from the other side of the field.
Teams:
Australia- 15-Chris Latham; 14-Wendell Sailor, 13-MatRogers (22-Matthew Burke 77), 12-Elton Flatley, 11-Lote Tuqiri;10-Stephen Larkham, 9-George Gregan (captain) (20-Chris Whitaker77); 8-Toutai Kefu (21-Matt Giteau 79), 7-Phil Waugh, 6-GeorgeSmith (19-Owen Finegan 66), 5-Daniel Vickerman (18-Nathan Sharpe64), 4-David Giffin; 3-Patricio Noriega (17-Glenn Panoho 65),2-Brendan Cannon (16-Jeremy Paul 74), 1-Bill Young.
South Africa:15-Andre Pretorius; 14-Stefan Terblanche(22-Brent Russell 66), 13-Jorrie Muller, 12-De Wet Barry,11-Ashwin Willemse; 10-Louis Koen, 9-Craig Davidson (20-Joostvan der Westhuizen 60); 8-Juan Smith, 7-Joe van Niekerk, 6-CorneKrige (captain) (19-Wikus van Heerden 35-39), (17-LawrenceSephaka 73), 5-Victor Matfield, 4-Selborne Boome (18-BakkiesBotha 55); 3-Richard Bands, 2-Danie Coetzee (16-Dale Santon 80),1-Robbie Kempson.
Referee:Paddy O'Brien (New Zealand)