Today's rugby news as shocked Erasmus 'embarrassed' in press conference and Lion hits back at Farrell criticism

Today's rugby news as shocked Erasmus 'embarrassed' in press conference and Lion hits back at Farrell criticism

The latest rugby news from Wales and beyond.

Rassie Erasmus (right) of South Africa (Image: Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images/Getty Images)

The latest rugby news from Wales and beyond on Sunday, August 17.

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Wallabies stun Springboks

Australia produced a stunning comeback to beat world champions South Africa in the 2025 Rugby Championship opener in Johannesburg.

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Trailing by 22 points after 19 minutes, the Wallabies scored 38 unanswered points to stun the hosts and record the first win in the city since 1963 in a 38-22 scoreline.

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The second-half fightback was nothing short of incredible from Joe Schmidt's side, who had been written off during the Lions series earlier this summer. Sign up to Inside Welsh rugby on Substack to get exclusive news stories and insight from behind the scenes in Welsh rugby.

“This win is right up there, especially since it has been 60-odd years since we tasted success in Joburg,” said veteran Australia prop James Slipper.

“We have worked hard and we have got a bit of confidence, but we are still building. Credit to the boys that they stuck in there, and the bench really added value.

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“We had a bit of a slow start and the Boks started really fast, but we kinda (sic) knew that they would come at us hard.

“It is such a special moment, it is a tough ask to come here and play the world champions. We will gain a lot of confidence from this result.

“It will be another tough game next weekend (in Cape Town) and we will prepare hard. The Springboks are hurting and will want revenge.”

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Australia flanker and man of the match Fraser McReight added: “We are euphoric. We spoke about not having won here since 1963, but we had quiet confidence and are building something special.

“South Africa are an unbelievable team and what an atmosphere here. We are just stoked to be to able to come back and win. I just tried to do my bit, but there is still plenty to work on.”

The Boks' head coach Rassie Erasmus, meanwhile, says he was embarrassed.

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"I must be honest, it is probably one of the most embarrassing press conferences I've done in a while," said Erasmus.

"Not because we were awful, they were really good and I want to put the old cliché out there, credit to them, they were good - but we made them better with our poor performance.

"To be 22-0 up, we did the same against Italy, 27-3 up and then we let teams back in. Yes we gave them one or two soft tries but overall they were just better than us on the day in most departments and yeah, we as coaches got it terribly wrong, and we have to look first at ourselves before we point fingers at the players.

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"We know that from now to next Saturday we have to take a lot of flak and we're very disappointed, we feel bad for our supporters and are feeling bad for our players overall for what we produced.

"I don't think they tactically out-smarted us, I think they also physically dominated us. The saddest thing is we didn't even fight back to take a bonus point away. Listen man, I can butter this up to sound cool and respectful, but we were really dogs*** on the day."

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South Africa (22) 22

Tries: Arendse, Esterhuizen, Kolisi Pens: Libbok, Cons: Libbok 2

Australia (5) 38

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Tries: Pietsch, Wilson 2, Jorgensen, Suaalii, Wright Cons: O'Connor 4

All Blacks beat Pumas

Meanwhile, New Zealand beat Argentina 24-41 to round off the opening weekend of the Rugby Championship.

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Two late tries from Samisoni Taukei’aho sealed the win for the All Blacks, who now return to the top of the rugby world rankings.

The away team were 31-10 ahead at the turnaround and managed to hold off a spirited fightback from the Pumas in Cordoba.

Beauden Barrett kicked 11 points and his brother and captain Scott said they were happy to take the victory.

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“We talked about starting well and I think we did that. We finished the second half quite strong – it was a bit of a statement there,” said Barrett.

“In the second half we were a little bit slow and probably a little bit of indiscipline fed their game, which was disappointing and allowed the crowd to get in behind them.

“They threw a lot of punches at us and I’m pleased the guys who finished the game were able to win some arm wrestles, get some territory and most importantly come away with a good win.”

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Monye praises 'GOAT' Farrell and hits back at nepotism claim

Former England international Ugo Monye has hit back at the suggestion that Owen Farrell's call-up was undeserved and labelled him as a "certified GOAT".

The call-up from head coach Andy Farrell was the subject of much debate amongst fans, with many suggesting Owen was called up purely because he was Andy's son.

However, speaking to Darren Bent and Andy Goldstein on talkSPORT following the British and Irish Lions series, Monye says son Farrell was totally deserving.

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Monye touched on some of the standout players on tour and gave Farrell a shout out before being interrupted as he was saying: "He wasn't in the initial squad, but to be brought in...

"By his dad," said presenter Goldstein. "How did he get that call-up then? I'm joking, he did earn it."

"He did, he did earn it," continued Monye, as the trio laughed. "It created a huge amount of debate but he then showed his class in the last two Tests.

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"The only player to win two Lions tours in modern day history. He is a certified GOAT (greatest of all time).

"Whatever anyone thinks of him as a person, I think he is a brilliant bloke and a tremendous rugby player."

Prem team sign 143kg USA prop

Leicester Tigers have signed US prop Tonga Kofe.

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Kofe leaves Utah Warriors, who he helped to finish top of the Major League Rugby Western Conference. Kofe has earned three caps so far for USA.

The big man weighs in at 143kg (22 stone, 7lbs) and previously played American football. He joins a Tigers team who have already welcomed six new signings ahead of the new season.

"Joining Leicester Tigers is more than just a new chapter — it’s the result of years of hard work, setbacks, and sacrifices," explained Tonga.

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"This club represents tradition, pride and a relentless standard, and I’m ready to give everything I’ve got to be part of that. I haven’t taken the easy road to get here, and I carry that hunger with me every time I step onto the pitch.

"The Tigers have the best fans in the league — passionate, loyal and loud — and I can’t wait to play in front of them and earn their respect by leaving it all out there, week in and week out. Let's work."

Louis Rees-Zammit links up with team-mates

Louis Rees-Zammit has met up with his new team-mates at Bristol Bears following his big return to rugby.

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The Welshman decided to end his dream of making it as an NFL player, with stints at Kansas City Chiefs and Jacksonville Jaguars unsuccessful.

He was recently revealed as a new signing for English Premiership side Bears, who have significantly bolstered their attacking options ahead of the new season.

The Penarthian's first obligation as a new player was a trip to Guernsey to spend time with the young Guernsey Raiders RFC, whose senior team compete in the RFU National 2 East League.

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Rees-Zammit could be seen providing his autograph for aspiring rugby players and teaching them alongside his team-mates.

Check out the video below.

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"Was a pleasure to visit Guernsey Raiders RFC last night to host a coaching session for all ages," wrote Bears.

"Thank you to everyone at the club for the welcome."

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