Where does the Wallabies' Ellis Park win rank in rugby's biggest comebacks?

As sporting drama goes, last Saturday’s 22-38 win for the Wallabies over the Springboks – their first at Ellis Park in over 60 years – was right up there among the very best – unless you’re a Springboks fan, of course.

For all the money in the world, a Springboks win against the Wallabies, especially at altitude, looked like a home banker on paper.

The Springboks were on a seven-Test winning run and were up against a side that was five places and 10 places worse off than them in the World Rugby Rankings.

Rassie Erasmus had plenty of time to digest the Ellis Park defeat

The Springboks are determined to find that perfect balance in their game when they face the Wallabies in Cape Town on Saturday.

Rassie Erasmus had plenty of time to digest the Ellis Park defeat

The Springboks are determined to find that perfect balance in their game when they face the Wallabies in Cape Town on Saturday.

But, as we all know, the game is not played on paper, and if it were, the Wallabies refused to read the script, coming back from 22-0 down to win 22-38.

Wallaby legends have taken to X to voice their approval, with Quade Cooper saying, “Personally, it’s the best game in the past 20 years”, while Tim Horan claimed, ‘post-retirement, this would have to be the proudest I’ve ever been of a Wallaby team.”

Results that very few can imagine or predict change the narrative and help to prevent a sport from becoming stale. But where does last Saturday’s win for the Wallabies rank in terms of comebacks?

Biggest men’s Test comebacks ranked:

8= WALES 34-39 AUSTRALIA (21pts), 2022
Wayne Pivac’s future as Wales head coach was left hanging by a thread after his side blew a 34-13 lead. Jac Morgan’s brace and tries from Taulupe Faletau and Rio Dyer had the Cardiff crowd on their feet. But inspired by Mark Nawaqanitawase, the Wallabies responded with 26 unanswered points as they capitalised on yellow cards for Wales captain Justin Tipuric and Ryan Elias.

8= SOUTH AFRICA 42-39 ENGLAND (21pts), 2018
Emirates Airline Park is getting used to big comebacks, having also hosted one seven years ago when the Springboks came out on top against Eddie Jones’ shellshocked England. England raced into a 24-3 lead, but South Africa ushered in the new era under Rassie Erasmus and Siya Kolisi with the most stunning of victories.

In a helter-skelter first half that witnessed seven tries, Faf de Klerk sparked the revival before S’bu Nkosi scored twice and Willie Le Roux added another on the stroke of half-time. England fought back to close the gap, but Aphiwe Dyantyi’s try and 17 points from the boot of Handre Pollard kept the visitors at bay.

6. SOUTH AFRICA 22-38 AUSTRALIA (22pts), 2025
The derogatory comments made about the Wallabies in the build-up to the opening match of the 2025 Rugby Championship looked justified as the Springboks stormed to a 22-0 lead. However, the Wallabies stuck to their guns and identified weaknesses in the Springboks’ otherwise impenetrable defence to reel off 38 unanswered points and come away from Emirates Airline Park with a historic victory.

No.8 Harry Wilson led from the front with a couple of tries, wingers Dylan Pietsch and Max Jorgensen showed off their finishing skills, Joseph Sua’ali’i helped himself to an intercept try and Tom Wright rounded things off with his side’s sixth try.

5. ARGENTINA 26-36 WALES (23pts), 1999
Neil Jenkins matched Gonzalo Quesada kick for kick, as Wales fought back from 23-0 down with just 35 minutes on the clock. Jenkins slotted four penalties and converted all three of his team’s tries, scored by Dafydd James, Chris Wyatt and Brett Sinkinson. Wales wrapped up a 2-0 series victory with a 23-16 win in the next game, which was memorable more for the mass brawls that repeatedly broke out than the rugby on show.

4. ARGENTINA 34-45 AUSTRALIA (24pts), 2018
Wallabies coach Michael Cheika gave his charges an almighty dressing down at half-time after they went into the sheds in Salta trailing 31-7. Cheika’s rant had the desired effect as the Wallabies came out for the second half firing on all cylinders, scoring five tries in addition to Michael Hooper’s first-half effort. Izack Rodda started the comeback, Israel Folau then joined him on the scoresheet and Dane Haylett-Petty crossed for a brace either side of David Pocock’s try.

3. CHILE 34-35 URUGUAY (27pts), 2007
The Prince of Wales Country Club in Santiago was the setting for the third biggest comeback in Test history. Chile’s first win over Uruguay in five years looked to be on the cards when they raced into a 27-0 half-time lead. Two penalties from the boot of  Emiliano Caffera, the current Brazil men’s head coach, finally got Uruguay on the board at the start of the second half, but Rodrigo Coda’s second try temporarily halted the momentum swing.

However, the remainder of the match belonged to Uruguay. A double from Player of the Match, Matias Arocena, followed on from Carlos Protasi’s try, and Caffera added the extras on all three occasions. Caffera reduced the arrears further by kicking a penalty, but it wasn’t until No.8 Ignacio Conti dotted down from a pushover scrum that the comeback was complete. No Test team has ever overturned a half-time deficit as big as the 27 points Uruguay recovered from in Santiago.

2. FIJI 41-38 TONGA (28pts), 2010
Vungakoto Lilo’s brace and tries from Alipate Fatafehi and Sione Kalamafoni, plus four conversions by Kurt Morath, had put Tonga into a seemingly unassailable 28-0 lead with 25 minutes gone at Apia Park. Fiji staged a mini revival while Lilo was in the sin-bin, scoring 10 points through Malakai Bakaniceva’s try and five points from the boot of Taniela Rawaqa. But a penalty from Morath ensured the Ikale ‘Tahi went into the break still in command of the scoreboard at 31-10.

The teams exchanged converted tries in the opening 10 minutes of the second half. But the game changed course when lock Akameta Fe’ao became the second Tongan player to be sin-binned. Fiji head coach Sam Domoni unloaded his bench, and the replacements made an immediate impact. Two converted tries were scored while Fe’ao was off the field, through Kelemedi Bola and Dominiko Waqaniburotu, Taniela Rawaqa converting both, before Seko Kalou crossed for Fiji’s match-winning try. Rawaqa maintained his impeccable kicking record with a fifth conversion, taking his overall contribution in the match to 16 points.

1. CHILE 36-38 KOREA (29pts), 2016
Hosts Chile astonishingly threw away a 36-7 second-half lead to be on the wrong end of the biggest comeback in men’s test rugby history.

When winger Tomas Ianiszewski completed his hat-trick in the 56th minute, it looked like it was game over for the Koreans. However, his opposite number, Han Gyul Park, replied with a treble of his own as Korea fought back from 20-0 down at half-time. His nine-minute hat-trick made the impossible possible, with Jae Bok Lee securing the unlikeliest of wins in the final minute while Chile were down to 14 men.