Ex-All Blacks star explains how Wallabies’ victory over Springboks is ‘wonderful for rugby on a global sense’
The Wallabies celebrate after their win over the Springboks and former All Blacks fly-half (Stephen Donald) inset.
Former All Blacks fly-half Stephen Donald believes the Wallabies’ shock victory over the Springboks in Johannesburg on Saturday will be a boost for the game in Australia as well as around the world.
The Wallabies’ 38-22 bonus-point win was a significant result as it was their first victory in South Africa in 12 years and a first triumph at Ellis Park since 1963.
This after the Springboks raced into a 22-0 lead midway through the first half.
The Wallabies struck back via a Dylan Pietsch try which meant the home side held a 22-5 lead at half-time, but things went pear-shaped after that for the world champions as Australia took control of proceedings and won the second half 33-0 to clinch a deserved victory.
Overwhelming underdogs ahead of the Test
The visitors went into the match as overwhelming underdogs and Donald feels what made the result extra special for the Wallabies was the fact that it was achieved at Ellis Park.
Speaking on The Aftermatch podcast, the show’s host Kirstie Stanway told Donald that Ellis Park must be the second hardest place to play rugby at, after Eden Park in Auckland where the All Blacks last lost a Test in 1994, but he disagreed.
“I think it is (the hardest place to play at) to be brutally honest,” he said. “Yes, the record of Eden Park is unmatched, unrivalled anywhere in the world.
“But as far as hostile, as far as intimidating, and you combine the week leading into it in Joburg, you combine what you’re going into as far as the opposition.
“Obviously, teams outside of New Zealand would say possibly Eden Park would be in the conversation.
‘It is a remarkable result’
“But I know from our point of view, I would say Ellis Park. It does not get any more intimidating and tough to go and get the points. So it is a remarkable result.”
The Wallabies’ win comes after they clinched a deserved 22-12 victory over the British & Irish Lions in their third Test in Sydney earlier this month and Donald said Joe Schmidt’s troops latest triumph, and the manner in which they achieved it, is something which he did not expect.
“I would have had them beating the Lions, but I said last week on our show here, I said things have escalated as far as how tough the challenge is, because I thought this would be a way greater challenge, and it probably is,” he explained.
“But they somehow have turned around a 22-point deficit.
“We’ve just talked about how intimidating it was. I saw some Australians in the crowd. There was a fair few Australians in the crowd, and obviously, the commentators and the cameras all cut to them when Australia was doing good.
“It’s one of those places, genuinely cursed, an intimidating, ferocious, hostile environment, and the likes of which I don’t think you can get anywhere else in the world. So no, I don’t quite believe how far they (Australia) have come. It is remarkable.
“It’s wonderful for rugby on a global sense, not just in Australia, where all of a sudden, they’ll be starting to take some interest around it again. The Wallabies have become relevant again, as they’re talked about in Australia.”