Autumn international
Wales (0) 0
South Africa (28) 73
Tries: Steenkamp, Hooker, Wiese, van den Berg, Louw, Feinberg-Mngomezulu 2 Moodie, Esterhuizen, Nortje, Etzebeth Cons: Feinberg-Mngomezulu 9
World champions South Africa humiliated woeful Wales by inflicting a record home defeat on their hosts.
Fly-half Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu scored 28 points as the Springboks demolished Steve Tandy’s side with a dominant 11-try display.
There were further tries from props Gerhard Steenkamp and Wilco Louw, wings Ethan Hooker and Canan Moodie, number eight Jasper Wiese, scrum-half Morne van den Berg, centre Andre Esterhuizen and lock Ruan Nortje.
Replacement Eben Etzebeth also crossed before the lock was shown a 79th-minute red card for gouging Wales flanker Alex Mann.
Welsh rugby plumbed new depths at their own ground, eclipsing the 68-14 Six Nations defeat by England in March.
It was the second worst defeat in Wales’ history behind the 96-13 hammering handed out by the Springboks in Pretoria in 1998.
It was the first time Wales have not scored a point in a home match since they lost 51-0 to France at a temporary Wembley base, also in 1998, while previously in 1967 Wales finished pointless in Cardiff when they lost to Ireland.
From the first whistle, this result was never in doubt. In a procession, the ruthless Springboks outmuscled their vastly inferior opponents with a devastating display.
Rugby Championship winners South Africa again finish the year as the world’s best side after completing a second successive clean sweep of European tour victories following wins this month against Japan, France, Italy and Ireland.
With new head coach Steve Tandy in charge for the first time, Wales will reflect on an autumn series in which they have suffered convincing defeats against Argentina New Zealand and South Africa and a one-point win against Japan with a last-gasp Jarrod Evans penalty.
That win at least kept Wales in the top 12 in the world rankings before the draw for the 2027 World Cup is made next Wednesday.
But despite some positive attacking glimpses against Argentina and New Zealand, the embarrassment against South Africa shows Wales are light years behind the world’s best as they suffered a 21st defeat in 23 Test matches. This loss was the most depressing.
Was this match worth it?
This almost felt like a South Africa home game with the volume of Springbok support as Wales suffered an 11th international defeat in 12 matches in Cardiff.
Both sides were missing players for a game controversially organised outside World Rugby’s international window, resulting in some players having to go back to clubs.
This fixture was scheduled originally for 2020 before being postponed because of Covid-19.
The international is designed to bring extra revenue into the game, but that will be dependent on the crowd’s size.
The attendance was another big talking point before the game and there were stark evidence of empty seats around the Principality Stadium in the crowd of 50,112.
The first match in what was then the Millennium Stadium, Wales defeated South Africa 29-19 in the opening game in 1999, their first win against the Springboks. That was played in front of 27,000 fans in a ground that had not been completed.
In the 15 games between the two nations in the Welsh capital since, there had been an average crowd of 64,000 with the lowest attendance 54,027 in 2010 before this contest.
So if any profit was made from this game, the question remains. Was it really worth it?
Contrasting strength in depth
This Wales and South Africa contest also clashed with matches involving the two nations’ professional sides in a round of United Rugby Championship (URC) games.
Wales were without 13 England and France- based players with the squad for South Africa comprised from Ospreys, Scarlets, Cardiff and Dragons, meaning those four teams fielded depleted sides for URC games.
South Africa were also without high-profile players such world player of the year Malcolm Marx, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Thomas du Toit and Cheslin Kolbe, although the side still boasted captain Siya Kolisi, Wiese, Damian de Allende, Damian Willemse and Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
That is before having Etzebeth and hooker Bongi Mbonambi in reserve with the pair of double World Cup winners among seven forwards in the Springboks bench.
So head coach Rassie Erasmus could still call on 899 caps in his matchday squad, while Wales had just 306. That Springboks’ bench had more caps (374) than Wales’ entire 23-man squad.
More to follow.
Wales: Murray; Mee, Roberts, Hawkins, Dyer; Edwards, Hardy; G Thomas, Lake (capt), Assiratti, Carter, R Davies, Plumtree, Mann, Wainwright.
Replacements: Coghlan, Southworth, Coleman, Ratti, Morse, Morgan-Williams, Sheedy, B Thomas.
Sin-bin: Plumtree 43, Wainwright 53
South Africa: D Willemse; Hooker, De Allende, Esterhuizen, Moodie; Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Van der Berg; Steenekamp, Grobbelaar, Louw, Kleyn, Nortje, Kolisi (capt), Mostert, Wiese.
Replacements: Mbonambi, Porthen, Ntlabakanye, Etzebeth, Van Staden, Dixon, Smith, Reinach.
Red card: Etzebeth
Referee: Luc Ramos (France)
Assistant referees: Matthew Carley (England), Pierre Brousset (France)
TMO: Eric Gauzins (France)
FPRO: Andrew Jackson (England).
