Harry Wilson captains Wallabies to emphatic win against Springboks

Former Gunnedah Red Devil Harry Wilson has captained the Wallabies to a rousing win against back-to-back world champions South Africa.

The Wallabies returned to Australia to take on the Springboks at Perth’s Optus Stadium.

In a dramatic thriller, the Wallabies defeated the Springboks 42–38 to reclaim the Mandela Challenge Plate for the first time since 2022.

The hosts held an enormous lead, 42–17, almost halfway through the second half in what was an extraordinary 65 minutes.

The Wallabies had also lost four players to the bin in the final stages and were reduced to 11 men.

A rampage of tries from the Springboks, including their final try and conversion just as the game was about to end, narrowed that gap considerably.

Wilson was among the Wallabies’ try scorers, crossing over at the 59th minute.

The win is the biggest scalp for the side since Les Kiss took the coaching reins.

Kiss praised the side for the strong preparation leading up to the Springboks match.

“The boys really took the bit between their teeth and really challenged themselves to build a plan and to work hard … to make that work for us,” Kiss told media following the game.

“The growth we’re getting is absolutely brilliant. Each step of the way we’re just taking little bits of learning, little bits of growth, stacking on top of each other.”

Australia is one year away from hosting the World Cup, with the media noting the noise and strong numbers at the recent game in Western Australia.

“It’s pretty special. We’ve obviously had some really good crowds for the past couple of years and to give them a result like this at home was really special,” Wilson said.

“Doing the lap at the end of the game and seeing so many Aussies there staying around just to wave to us, and get around us, was really special.

“I hope that gives this group that more want to win some big games because everyone’s behind us.”

When queried about the final moments of the game, Wilson acknowledged Kiss’s ethos of being big on care – for both the jersey and the players.

“The boys showed. We’re vers[us] the Springboks with 11 men … and every try the boys made them work which took more time off the clock which ultimately got us victory in the end,” he said.

Wilson was also off the field for a bit of the game, with Jeremy Williams the fill-in captain for a period during the thrilling contest.

“For us to be 25–30 points ahead to give us that buffer was awesome,” Wilson said.

The Wallabies turn their sights to the All Blacks, playing in New Zealand on 10 October.

The All Blacks come to Sydney to take on the Wallabies on 17 October.

The Nations Championship kicks off in November, with the Wallabies taking on England at Sydney’s Allianz Stadium on 9 November.

The Wallabies then head overseas to face Scotland at Edinburgh’s Scottish Gas Murrayfield Stadium on 16 November and then Wales at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium on 22 November.