Australia’s Wallaroos beat South Africa 33-26 in a pulsating match at the WXV2 tournament

The Wallaroos recorded a thrilling 33-26 victory over South Africa in Cape Town as record equalers Ash Marsters pulled off a heroic last-ditch steal to put the Australian women’s team within sight of the WXV2 tournament title.

The night’s excellent all-round performance, led by two spectacular performances from flying wingers Desiree Miller and record-breaker Maya Stewart, has set up a title-deciding match against also unbeaten Scotland at the same venue next week.

The Wallaroos, who maintained the resurgent form that saw them crush Wales the week before, flowed as they scored five tries, scored by Siokapesi Palu, Georgina Friedrichs, Eva Karpani, player of the match Miller and Stewart, whose 14th Wallaroos’ try took her past Tricia Brown’s record.

But on the day she equaled Liz Patu’s Wallaroos appearance record with her 33rd cap, it felt fitting that the evergreen 30-year-old Marsters flanker would come up with the decisive final defensive move at the Athlone Stadium.

With the Springboks’ powerful attackers stationed on the Australian line and confident of crossing for a post-siren try that would almost certainly lead to a draw, Marsters somehow managed to hold out under the greatest pressure to get her hands. the ball for the decisive penalty kick.

“It was a very stressful last five minutes, but that’s the Australian heart, that ticker, girls in the trenches working for each other, and it shows what wearing this jersey means to us,” said Australian captain Michaela Leonard .

“We have certainly turned around after a difficult year, we have shown that we can do it if we do it right.”

Australia were slick in the early exchanges, Palu plowing over from a fourth-minute pick-and-go with Zimbabwe-born Friedrichs and then sent in by a dazzling run down the right from Stewart, who bulldozed through fullback Eloise Webb before he unloaded. .

South African halfback Unam Tose then charged into Caitlyn Halse’s kick to land, but tight end prop Karpani slotted in for a third Australian score in just 13 minutes.

Two more Wallaroo scores were disallowed before half-time. One was due to carelessness when Cecilia Smith dropped the ball over the line while finishing off a brilliant team move, and the other, sniffed through by Miller just before half-time, was ruled out for an earlier knock-on.

However, Sinazo Mcatshulwa’s try just after the half hour meant that Australia had to settle for a half-time score of 21-12.

There was early concern after the break when lock Atasi Lafai was sent to the box for a high tackle, but that didn’t stop Australia scoring while short-handed as Miller fired unstoppably down the left wing.

Stewart then raced to the other wing for her record-breaking try alone for the Springboks, roared into the stands by inspiring men’s captain Siya Kolisi, to be rallied by their own replacements ‘Bomb Squad’.

Zintle Mpupha and Micke Gunter both stepped up to turn the match into a one-score contest in the final minute, before Marsters’ superb steal in the final second.

Earlier, Scotland also made it two wins from two with their 19-13 win over Japan to set up next week’s grand final.

MONKEY