South Africa vs Australia Rugby Union Head-to-Head & Stats

Ralph Staniforth

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Last updated: 07 Oct 2024

Ralph Staniforth 07 Oct 2024

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South Africa won the first match against Australia in 1933
South Africa leads the overall head-to-head record
Recent matches have seen varied results, showcasing a strong rivalry

South Africa vs Australia rugby championship 2023

South Africa have the better overall record but Australia are dominant at home (Getty Images)

South Africa and Australia first took to the field way back in 1933. South Africa won that first match 17-3 in Cape Town and ended up winning the series 3-2. The rivalry has only grown and since the game went professional in the mid-90s with the advent of the then Tri Nations, now Rugby Championship, adding extra spice to the competition.

South Africa vs Australia Head-to-Head Record

The Springboks and Wallabies have always been among the top sides in the world of Rugby Union. Australia have also claimed two World Cup titles while South Africa has four.

At this point, South Africa have had the better of head-to-head games, but it is very close. Australia have a better record on home soil but their away record against the Springboks is not very strong.

Info	Played	Won by Australia	Won by South Africa	Drawn
Overall	95	40	52	3
In Australia	45	28	15	2
In South Africa	48	10	37	1
Neutral	2	2	0	0

Latest Results

Date	Result	Score	Venue	Country
9 Sep 2017	Draw	23-23	Perth Oval	Australia
30 Sep 2017	Draw	27-27	Free State Stadium	South Africa
8 Sep 2018	Australia Won	23-18	Lang Stadium	Australia
29 Sep 2018	South Africa Won	23-12	Nelson Mandela Stadium	South Africa
20 Jul 2019	South Africa Won	35-17	Ellis Park	South Africa
11 Sep 2021	Australia Won	28-26	Robina Stadium	Australia
18 Sep 2021	Australia Won	30-17	Lang Park	Australia
27 Aug 2022	Australia Won	25-17	Adelaide Oval	Australia
3 Sep 2022	South Africa Won	24-8	Sydney Stadium	Australia
8 Jul 2023	South Africa Won	43-12	Loftus Versfeld	South Africa
10 Aug 2024	South Africa Won	33-7	Lang Park	Australia
17 Aug 2024	South Africa Won	30-12	Perth Stadium	Australia
TBC	TBC	TBC	TBC	TBC

Rugby World Cup Record

These sides have met three times at the Rugby World Cup with South Africa claiming one win and Australia two.

The first World Cup meeting took place at Newlands in 1995, the opening game of the tournament. South Africa, buoyed by their return to the international scene and under the watchful eye of Nelson Mandela, went on to win the match 27-18.

However, the tables were turned in 1999 when they met in the semi-final at Twickenham. With the scores locked at 18-all after 80 minutes, Australia went on to win 27-21 with a remarkable drop goal from Stephen Larkham.

They met again in the 2011 Rugby World Cup quarterfinal, one of the most controversial games of all time. While the Springboks dominated the game, Australia emerged victorious 11-9 with many critics still questioning the decisions made on that day.