The Springboks remain at the top of the World Rugby rankings despite suffering a 42-38 defeat to Australia in Perth on Sunday.
South Africa paid a price for the loss, dropping two ranking points and seeing their advantage over the second-placed All Blacks reduced to 1.94 points.
The result came shortly after the Springboks had completed a 3-1 series victory over New Zealand, but a much-changed South African side could not produce the same level of performance against the Wallabies.
Springboks lose ground at the top
Australia went into half-time with a 24-17 advantage before stretching their lead to 42-17 after 65 minutes.
The Springboks produced a determined late comeback and reduced the deficit to just four points, but the Wallabies held on to secure an important home victory.
Despite the defeat, South Africa remain the world’s No 1-ranked team on 93.09 points.
New Zealand are second on 91.15, leaving the Springboks with a significantly smaller cushion at the summit.
Australia also benefited from the victory, climbing to seventh with 83.55 points.
Updated World Rugby rankings
| Rank | Country | Points |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | South Africa | 93.09 |
| 2 | New Zealand | 91.15 |
| 3 | Ireland | 88.08 |
| 4 | France | 87.43 |
| 5 | England | 85.68 |
| 6 | Scotland | 84.78 |
| 7 | Australia | 83.55 |
| 8 | Argentina | 82.24 |
| 9 | Fiji | 78.00 |
| 10 | Wales | 76.38 |
| 11 | Italy | 76.30 |
| 12 | Japan | 76.09 |
| 13 | Georgia | 73.94 |
| 14 | USA | 69.49 |
| 15 | Portugal | 69.39 |
| 16 | Chile | 66.94 |
| 17 | Spain | 66.83 |
| 18 | Uruguay | 65.75 |
| 19 | Tonga | 65.14 |
| 20 | Samoa | 64.73 |
Erasmus takes responsibility for defeat
Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus did not look for excuses after the defeat.
He acknowledged that South Africa had been beaten by the better team on the night and accepted responsibility for the performance.
Erasmus also noted that several disruptions affected the match, including problems with the technology and match clock, but said those issues did not determine the outcome.
The coach pointed to the 25-point deficit at one stage of the contest as evidence that South Africa needed to look at its own performance.
The Springboks ultimately came close to completing an extraordinary comeback, but Australia held firm to claim a memorable victory.
South Africa will now have a break before returning to Test action against Italy in Turin on 7 November.
