Embarrassed and dismantled in their record defeat by Argentina in San Juan, the Wallabies had had a fortnight to stew in their own juices. There had been, said coach Dave Rennie, a “pretty brutal review, a fair bit of honesty and an excellent reaction.”
That “reaction” ran onto Adelaide Oval and delivered a 25-17 hammering of the reigning world champions South Africa. Although the scoreline hints at a tight Test, Australia were ascendent all day – fantastic in attack and brave in defence as they rewarded the faithful and got their Rugby Championship campaign back on track.
