Moodie the hero as Boks end Australian drought

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Canan Moodie marked his Test debut with a memorable try as the Springboks powered to a historic victory over the Wallabies in Sydney on Saturday.

With the 24-8 win, the Springboks beat the Wallabies in Australia for the first time since 2013, ending a nine-year wait.

It was a deserved victory for the Boks, who showed much more intensity from the start of the Test and never really took a step backward after crossing for the first try in the opening 10 minutes.

The Boks weren’t perfect and wasted opportunities, but they shook the Wallabies with some uncompromising defence and heavy competing at the breakdown. Captain Siya Kolisi shone in that regard as he made three crucial steals and was consistently the second man in after an aerial contest.

Undoubtedly, the standout moment came when Moodie crossed for his debut try and was swamped by his teammates in celebration. The second-youngest Springbok debutant was solid as a rock, making 35 metres from four carries and beating one defender.

Much was made before the match of the Springboks’ trend of starting matches with a lack of intensity. However, that was much, much improved at the Allianz Stadium as the Boks were on the front foot from the first whistle, even though they were still wasteful with the plethora of opportunities they created.

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After a period of pressure, De Allende burst over the tryline in the ninth minute as the Springboks took an early lead.

The Wallabies lost lock Matt Philip to a yellow card for a cynical foul in the buildup to the first try, but managed to wait the clock out and survive the 10-minute period without conceding again.

The crucial moment of the half came just before the break when, just as it appeared the Springboks would have to settle for the four-point lead at the break. Moodie soared like an eagle and latched on to Hendrikse’s contestable punt, sprinting clear to score his first Test try.

The Springboks carried the momentum of that score into the second half as they flew out of the blocks, a display of excellent handling putting Franco Mostert over the corner.

Tempers were frayed throughout the Test and it all came to a head after Makazole Mapimpi scored the Springboks’ third try. A massive fracas broke out, which resulted in Mapimpi being yellow-carded.

The Wallabies finished strongly as they capitalised on their numerical advantage when Rob Leota scored just before the full-time hooter, but the hosts then knocked on from the final kick-off to end the contest.

Photo: Matt King/Getty Images

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Dylan Jack