Overview
- The Springboks secured the inaugural Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series 3-1 with a 43-28 win in Baltimore on Saturday, September 12, ending the four-Test tour in their favour.
- Commentators and former Wallabies singled out South Africa’s depth and impact replacements as the decisive factor in late-game control and momentum.
- Morné van den Berg emerged as a leading scrumhalf with a man-of-the-match display in the finale while Grant Williams has recovered from injury to restore depth at No 9.
- Coaches face selection headaches at hooker and loose forward after Malcolm Marx logged heavy minutes, Deon Fourie was recalled as short-term cover, and Bongi Mbonambi remains under medical clearance before any return.
- Analysts flagged concrete areas to fix — the team conceded many tries across the series and must sharpen finishing, defensive alignment and breakdown work as they head to a one-off Test in Perth on 27 September and into World Cup planning.