8/9 Rugby · Brett McKay & great co-hosts

TRC Post-Mortem: This WASN’T supposed to happen!

August 18, 2025·31 min·2 clips

The Wallabies fought like lions at Ellis Park, staging an unbelievable comeback from 22-0 down.

This episode is a post-match analysis of Australia's unexpected 38-22 victory over South Africa in a Rugby Championship match at Ellis Park. Hosts Brett McKay and Harry Jones, a journalist on the ground in Johannesburg, dissect the historic Wallabies win. The Springboks led 22-0 after 30 minutes through tries from Kurt-Lee Arendse, Andre Esterhuizen, and Canan Moodie. The Wallabies' comeback began with a try from Dylan Pietsch before halftime. Key second-half tries included two from Harry Wilson and a decisive score from Tom Wright in the 76th minute. Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus gave a disconsolate press conference, apologizing and calling it his most embarrassing loss. The hosts note the Wallabies had only 30% possession during the early onslaught. Erasmus highlighted his team's lack of kicking, with only nine kicks in the second half, and a failure to convert set-piece wins. The Wallabies' defense, particularly from Izaia Perese and Suliasi Vunivalu, shut down the Springbok attack after the first quarter. A surprising insight is that the Springbok players were physically fresh but mentally exhausted from being thwarted. The shift in momentum was so subtle the on-ground reporter missed it happening in real time. The victory is Australia's first at Ellis Park since the 1960s. Erasmus hinted at significant team changes for the next match in Cape Town and faced questions about his famed "Bomb Squad" strategy being outdated. Wallabies coach Joe Schmidt was uncharacteristically giddy after the win, joking about finding an Australian beer to celebrate. The match's turning point was an intercept try from Suliasi Vunivalu that seemed to come from nowhere. The tone is one of stunned, energetic disbelief, blending immediate reaction with analytical depth. The style is conversational and passionate, capturing the raw emotion of a live sporting upset. This episode is perfect for rugby fans craving detailed, on-the-ground analysis of a major tournament shock. Listeners less interested in a deep tactical post-mortem of a specific match might want to skip it.

As heard by us

A fast, grounded reaction to a remarkable Wallabies win, with the turning point handled well.

The 8-9 Combo treats the Wallabies' win over the Springboks at Ellis Park in Johannesburg as something worth sitting with, not just replaying.

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Why you'd press play

You want the immediate fallout from a result nobody saw coming.

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