Jantjies stars in Springboks’ victory over Wallabies

Johannesburg: Rookie scrumhalf Herschel Jantjies scored two tries on debut as South Africa claimed a 35-17 bonus-point victory over sloppy Australia in their Rugby Championship clash at Ellis Park on Saturday.

Jantjies has been the find of the season in South African rugby, having risen from obscurity in recent months at the Stormers, and he looks to have booked a Rugby World Cup ticket as the Springboks scored further tries through lock Lood De Jager, wing Sbu Nkosi and replacement scrumhalf Cobus Reinach.

Australia had dominated much of the first half but too many unforced errors left them trailing 14-10 at the break, only for the Boks to pull away in the second period in front of 51,206 in Johannesburg.

The visitors’ tries came via flyhalf Bernard Foley and wing Dane Haylett-Petty, who also botched a second score in a horror moment with the tryline gaping.

Elsewhere, New Zealand Maori made major improvements in the space of a week to beat Fiji 26-17 in a rugby international Saturday, tying the two-match series 1-1.

Fiji outclassed the New Zealanders 27-10 in the first match of the series in Suva last weekend, posting their first win over the Maori in 52 years.

The shortcomings which cost New Zealand Maori so dearly a week ago were largely eliminated, paving the way for their resurgence. The aimless kicking which helped fuel the Fiji attack in Suva, and the missed tackles which made that fault more severe, were much less evident Saturday.

The Maori kept the ball in hand more often, though possession was relatively evenly shared. At the same time, the Maori defensive line was squarer, removing the gaps which Fiji found in a staggered defense last weekend.

Agencies