South Africa’s 16-point loss to Australia (22–38) on 16 August 2025 was one for the rugby history books – and not in a good way. You’d have to go back to 2008 in Durban, when the Aussies beat the Boks 27–15, to find another defeat by that kind of margin.

Since 1995, the Springboks and Wallabies have squared off 64 times. Twenty-nine of those games have been on South African turf, where the Boks usually own it, winning close to 80% of the time.

Some stadiums have been impenetrable fortresses: the Boks have never lost to Australia in Cape Town or Pretoria in the last 30 years. Last week’s clash at Ellis Park in Johannesburg marked the Wallabies’ first win there since 1995. Before that the Wallabies last beat the Boks at Ellis Park in 1963.

Durban, on the other hand, has never been the happiest hunting ground for South Africa. Against Australia, they’ve only managed one win in four matches.