DURBAN — South Africa put down Wales 43-0 at Kings Park in Durban on Saturday, going three for three in the Nations Championship and remaining unbeaten alongside New Zealand after the southern hemisphere leg of the tournament.
The Springboks scored seven tries through seven different scorers — Jasper Wiese, Cobus Reinach, Jesse Kriel, Jaco Williams, Herschel Jantjies, Kurt-Lee Arendse and Paul de Villiers — but the scoreline could have been far heavier. A team showing 10 changes with four debutants following the 42-28 win over Scotland was slick at times but frequently undone by knock-ons on a slippery surface.
"I think we've got a little bit better in every game of the Nations Championship but as we've been rotating it does take cohesion away," Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus said. "We saw world-class players make a few knock-ons in this game. The field is really slippery, and you could feel it in the warmup. It was tough to play an expansive, pretty game in conditions like that against a team that really wanted to defend."
Wales, who were overpowered by Argentina last weekend in San Juan, showed more fight than the all-local XV that was thrashed 73-0 in Cardiff last November, but were still outclassed. The Welsh defense missed 29 tackles against South Africa, bringing their total to 102 missed tackles across the three July fixtures.
Standout performers included debutants Vusi Moyo at flyhalf and Jaco Williams on the wing, both playing on their home ground. The 20-year-old Moyo, who this season also made his Sharks debut and played for the Junior Springboks, produced a smart kick-pass just before halftime that led to Williams setting up Kriel for a 19-0 lead. Williams scored 44 seconds into the second half after superb work by Reinach and Wiese, then combined with replacement scrumhalf Jantjies to send him over for a try in his first test since 2023.
While prop Ben Warren was in the sin-bin for an upright tackle, winger Kurt-Lee Arendse crossed, and South Africa finished the humid night with a try from a lineout maul by flanker Paul de Villiers, named man of the match in his third cap.
"We're not happy with the nil on the scoreboard, we're not happy with losing," Wales captain Dewi Lake said. "There's a lot for us to improve on but we've had growth."
For South Africa, it marked the first time they blanked Wales in successive matches since the first two meetings in this rivalry back in 1906 and 1912. The Nations Championship now takes a break until November, when it will conclude in Europe.
Sources
- https://apnews.com/article/south-africa-springboks-wales-nations-56ea75c4cddb0f23c34de2464e283016
