South Africa again beat Australia in the Rugby Championship on Saturday, winning 30-12 in wet and slippery conditions at Optus Stadium.
The two-time World Cup winners scored just four tries in a match watched by 58,197 fans, many of whom were rooting for the Springboks, and Perth is home to a strong South African community.
South Africa made 10 changes to their 33-7 win in Brisbane last week and came out on top in a tight contest against a tougher Wallabies side that were even stronger with several players sidelined with head injuries.
Neither team had an easy time getting the ball, either in the air or on the ground. The heavy rain made the ground noticeably damp.
The Springboks, who have won the World Cup 14 times, struggled to adapt to the slippery conditions and only led 11-9 at half-time, but overwhelmed the Wallabies with three tries in the second half.
Despite being depleted of fuel, it was a better performance than the Wallabies, who came into the game stronger after questions were raised about their fitness.
They made five changes, with powerful winger Marika Koroibete making an excellent inclusion in the first Test squad since last year’s World Cup.
But Australia’s record fell to three wins and two losses under new coach Joe Schmidt, who chastised his team after losing the first Test match.
After a slow start in Brisbane, Australia picked up momentum and fly-half Noah Roletio calmly converted a penalty.
The Springboks looked sloppy in their early attack and made some unusual mistakes.
They took the lead through Cheslin Kolbe, but his pass was intercepted by Sasha Feinberg-MontgomeZulu and a clear-cut effort was thwarted.
South Africa briefly regained their lead when full-back Apellele Passie converted a superb pass from the break to score a superb opening try.
The Springboks were on the verge of taking the lead but failed to capitalise on several fast-break opportunities.
The team also suffered a major blow when substitute captain Salman Moerat was forced to leave the field with a head injury.
The Wallabies fought back and went ahead just before half-time when Loretio converted a penalty from 25 metres out on the right.
South Africa came out on top after half-time and extended their lead when Marco van Staden fired a cross-line goal.
The game was briefly halted due to heavy rain, but substitute Max Jorgensen gave the home side a boost on his debut.
But South Africa came out strong on the Maul, Malcolm Marks scoring two late tries to get them over the line, and their bid to end their five-year title drought got off to a strong start.
