Sports Today: Wallabies win v Springboks plus huge NZ raid to Super Netball

So speechless right now other than a Super Wallabies win v the Boks away from home in the Republic something we haven’t seen in sports quite a long time.

Harry Wilson the team skipper at 8 being laser focused with every single hit and steal that the Boks could not see this coming but sad he came off injured.

Then Max Jorgensen never disappoints following his box office match performance where his speed destroys the Boks both ways with credit to that electrified Wallabies counter-attack.

Easy to say veteran Eben Etzebeth on the Boks second row four who’s always good at taking on anyone with one stone. 

Shame Boks made too many errors along with a half-hearted passage of play where this opening game could’ve been theirs to win if it wasn’t for these lost points.

Post-Game Notes

On behalf for the best interests of Australian sport, glad the Wallabies have dominated the Springboks at last away from home in Johannesburg – and they are more than happy to take the win 100%. Reminds me a bit of the NASCAR Cup Series race the other day where Austin Dillon came out of nowhere (even though he had a good 1st half) and solidified his Stage 3 lead into a Playoff-punching win for Richard Childress Racing.

They started the game with 22-0 down although Wallabies only scored the one TRY ahead of the half-time break before they answered in the most spectacular way by the full 80 at 38-22.

It’s just the start we wanted in the 2025 Rugby Championship right up there in first place with five games to go and one more mini tour match also in South African territory this weekend at Cape Town.

Could this be the moment Wallabies take home the Nelson Mandela Challenge Plate as series victors 2-0?

Let’s hope so. Then who knows if the Wallabies can go on to win the TRC proper along with the Bledisloe Cup. They haven’t won that one for 23 long years now that goes way back to 2002 for those young adults who were born there at the time.

For now, they better take one game at a time, especially at the expense of injuries as said with Harry Wilson off injured.

It’s the same issue the Boks could’ve imagined if their injured players were made available and somehow the performance would be extremely be a sure victory no doubt like they did to us over the last two years.

But despite the Boks promising start, they simply didn’t know how to turn that fast start into a cohesive long run game where everything fell into pieces – tough night in the office by the World Champions.

Netball Talk, Off the Court

Plus, huge week of sport last week with Netball across New Zealand while the ABs regained the No.1 ranking in World Rugby just now, with a few Silver Ferns players officially calling Super Netball bound to Australia ahead of 2026.

Their updated eligibility selection rules with the no home-based policy allows this star shooter Grace Nweke can still play International Netball without having to leave the Swifts which is similar to what we currently see in Football – playing for your country while developing your individual game at the top level overseas.

Bit surprising to see the Firebirds recruit all three players there & not within Australia or even elsewhere with two from the Central Pulse in Kelly Jackson and Maddy Gordon plus one off Tactix by Te Paea Selby-Rikit but glad to hear that Kiri Wills got away with the jackpot all on one hit.

Same with fellow Tactix veteran at GK/GD Jane Watson who now wants to give Super Netball a crack for the first time with the Giants before she reaches retirement at age 35/35 plus now former team-mate Karin Burger has indeed signed up with Sunshine Coast Lightning.

Would’ve loved to see Kate Heffernan end up at the Swifts but going with the Adelaide Thunderbirds where that team won the last two premierships in 2023 and 2024 was a smart pick indeed. 

Their style of Netball also structured to build momentum from the back & Kate is perfect for that type of project mainly at WD but also can fill in the middle at times.

Yes, the ANZ Premiership without them won’t be the same off the back of TVNZ now taking over the rights since Sky couldn’t pay any up and NNZ had to cover the media costs themselves.

However, they do need to hit pause and restart again as this is all about developing the next crop of players that could go on to play lots of Ferns games to come – and glad the comp will be able to sign two overseas recruits to assist that home-based reset rather than just one.