South Africa bounced back from defeat to Australia in last week’s Rugby Championship opener with a battling 30-22 victory over the Wallabies in rain-soaked Cape Town.

The boot of Handre Pollard proved decisive as the 31-year-old kicked 15 points, made up of three penalty goals and three conversions.

Canan Moodie, Kwagga Smith and Eben Etzebeth went over for the world champions, who blew a 22-0 lead to lose 38-22 in Johannesburg last time out.

“Sometimes it’s just about getting back on the horse,” said head coach Rassie Erasmus.

“I don’t think this was a great performance, but when we lose a game everybody starts analysing the squad and the passion of the fans comes through. So I think given the kind of pressure we were under this weekend, we did well.

“We had to look each other in the eye and we got the balance between kicking and running better. There’s always pressure at home, so for me, bouncing back after last week was important.”

Australia also scored three tries through Corey Toole, Max Jorgensen and Brandon Paenga-Amosa but were unable to replicate last weekend’s stunning comeback.

They came close to a losing bonus point, but James O’Connor missed two penalty attempts in the final few minutes. It means the Wallabies sit second in the table with five points from two matches.

“It was a great physical battle out there and I am super proud of my boys. We fought right to the end,” said Australia captain Fraser McReight.

“It has been a tough two weeks over here. There were a few moments where if we got the ball back our way, the result could have been different. But that is the beauty of rugby.”

South Africa sit third on four points and will head to leaders New Zealand next, needing at least one win in two matches against the All Blacks if they are to have a chance of defending their title.