Gut punch penalty breaks heroic Welsh hearts in South Africa
Damian Willemse broke Welsh hearts with the final kick of a pulsating Test match as world champions South Africa triumphed 32-29 at Loftus Versfeld.
Willemse’s penalty – awarded following a deliberate knock-on by Wales captain Dan Biggar – denied Wales a draw.
And for large parts of a breath-taking contest, Wayne Pivac’s team looked destined to end 58 years of hurt by claiming a first victory over the Springboks in South Africa.
Beaten at home by Italy just three months ago, Wales were written off before they arrived in Pretoria, but wing Louis Rees-Zammit’s first-half try double helped put South Africa on the rack.
Wales, though, were briefly reduced to 12 men during the frantic closing stages after Rees-Zammit, Alun Wyn Jones and Rhys Carre received yellow cards.
A capacity 50,000 crowd – the Springboks’ first full house in South Africa since they won the World Cup 32 months ago – saw their heroes go 29-24 ahead through a 75th-minute penalty try, then replacement hooker Dewi Lake’s touchdown hauled Wales level before Willemse landed his winning kick.
Wales were humiliated 96-13 by South Africa on the same ground in 1998, but they head to Bloemfontein for next Saturday’s second Test after one of their finest performances in recent seasons.
South Africa scored tries through Bongi Mbonambi, Malcolm Marx and Cheslin Kolbe, in addition to the penalty try, while Willemse kicked two conversions and a penalty, and Elton Jantjies landed a penalty, with Biggar kicking three penalties, a drop-goal and a conversion.
A minute’s silence was held before kick-off in memory of former Wales and British and Irish Lions captain Phil Bennett, who died last month, while the Wales players wore black armbands.
And Wales scored a try after just three minutes that would have thrilled Bennett, with a flowing move ending in Liam Williams sending wing Rees-Zammit clear, and the Gloucester speedster cruised home from 35 metres out.
Biggar underlined the quality of his team’s start by landing a 40-metre drop-goal that left South Africa eight points adrift inside the first 10 minutes.
The Springboks needed a response, but a long-range Jantjies penalty hit one post and then struck the other before bouncing to safety from a Welsh perspective.
Jantjies made no mistake off the tee three minutes later, though, before Biggar cancelled out that penalty and the opening quarter ended with Wales 11-3 ahead.
Jantjies then missed another penalty, and he also struggled tactically, but his sharp break put Wales under pressure, only for the visitors to claim a second try eight minutes before half-time.
Centre Nick Tompkins’ challenge on Jantjies saw the ball bounce clear, and Rees-Zammit kicked ahead before gathering possession and surging clear for his second try.
Biggar’s conversion made it 18-3, and although the skipper was then yellow-carded for slowing the ball down after a try-saving tackle on Springboks scrum-half Faf de Klerk, South Africa had a mountain to climb, trailing by 15 points at the break.
South Africa had to start eating into Wales’ lead, and they claimed their first try after 46 minutes when Mbonambi was driven over by his fellow forwards.
It's all getting a bit crazy #SAvWAL pic.twitter.com/F6fhVoe3ld
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 2, 2022
Full-back Willemse added the conversion after moving to fly-half instead of a substituted Jantjies, before Biggar rejoined the action.
South Africa, helped by their enviable strength off the replacements’ bench, had Wales on the back foot, while the visitors saw substitute prop Tomas Francis taken off after suffering what appeared to be a nasty injury.
And before Wales could regroup, the Springboks struck again, as replacement hooker Marx touched down, making it 18-15.
Biggar kicked two penalties during a six-minute spell either side of the hour mark, which meant Wales went into the final quarter with a nine-point advantage.
What an incredible match! #SAvWAl pic.twitter.com/Nv9M5d2GTQ
— RugbyPass (@RugbyPass) July 2, 2022
The Springboks hit back, though, through a try for wing Kolbe that Willemse converted from the touchline, before Jones was yellow-carded for being offside in the build-up to Kolbe’s score.
Rees-Zammit was also sin-binned following a technical infringement, reducing Wales to 13 players, and South Africa went ahead with a penalty try after Wales collapsed a maul, before Carre became their third player in the sin-bin at the same time.
Incredibly with three minutes left, Wales drew level through Lake’s try, but Biggar was then guilty of a deliberate knock-on and Willemse kicked the match-winner.
Comments on RugbyPass
Bar the injuries, it’s pretty much their top team …
2 Go to commentsDon’t disagree with much of this but it appears you forgot Rodda and Beale, who started at the Force on the weekend.
9 Go to commentsExcept for the injured Zach Gallagher this would be Saders best forward pack for the season. Blackadder needs to stay at 7, for all of Christies tackling he is not dominant and offers very little else. McNicholfullback is maybe a good option, Fihaki not really upto it, there was a reason Burke played there last year. Maybe Havilli to 2nd five McLeod to wing. Need a strong winger on 1 side to compliment Reece
1 Go to commentsTo me TJ is clearly the best 9 in the competition right now but he's also a proven player off the bench, there's few playmaking players who can come off the bench as calm and settled as he is, Beauden can, TJ can and I doubt any of the scrumhalves in contention can, if they want to experiment with new 9s I want him on the bench ready to step in if they crumble under the pressure. The Boks put their best front row on the bench, I'd like to see us take a similar approach, the Hurricanes have been doing similar things with players like Kirifi.
35 Go to commentsROG has better chance to win a WC if he starts training and make himself eligible as a player. He won’t make the Ireland squad but I reckon he may get close with Namibia (needs to improve his Afrikaans) or Portugal. Both sides had 1000:1 odds to win the RWC in 2023 which is an improvement on ROG’s odds of winning a RWC as a coach. Unlike Top 14 teams, national teams can’t go shopping and buy the best players - you work with the available talent pool and turn them into world beaters.
2 Go to commentsthat backline nope that backline is terrible why would you have sevu Reece when he’s not even top 5 wingers in the comp why have Blackadder when there’s better players no Scott barret isn’t an automatic the guy is more of a liability than anything why have him there when you have samipeni who’s far far better
35 Go to commentsAh, good to find you Nick. Agree with everything about Cale. So much to like about his game
49 Go to commentsNot too bad. Questions at 6, lock and HB for me. The ABs will be a lot stronger once Jordan and Roigard return. Also, work needs to be made to secure Frizzell back for next season and maybe also Mo’unga; they’re just wasting time playing in japan
35 Go to commentsOn the title, i wonder for many of those people it is a case something like a belief in working smarter, not harder?
1 Go to commentsForget Sotutu. One of those whose top level is Super Rugby. Id take a punt on Wallace Sititi Finau ahead of Glass body Blackadder.
35 Go to commentsI’m a pensioner so I've been around a bit. My opinion of SBW is he is an elite athlete and a great New Zealander and roll model. He has been to the top and knows what he's talking about. To all the negative comments regarding SBW the typical New Zealand way, cut that tall poppy down.
17 Go to commentsI'm not listening to a guy moralise over others when this is the guy who walked out mid season on Canterbury RLFC when he had a contract with them, what a hypocrite. All the Kiwis sticking up for this unprincipled individual because they can't accept justified criticism, he has zero credibility or integrity. Those praising him are a joke.
17 Go to commentsI’d put Finau at 6 instead of Blackadder but that’s the only change I’d make. Can’t wait to see who Razor picks.
35 Go to commentsTamati Williams, Codie Taylor, and Same Cane? Not sure about Hoskins Sotutu at test level. Wasn’t that impressive last season. Need a balance between experience and talent/youth.
35 Go to commentsInteresting insight. Fantastic athlete, and a genuine human being.
17 Go to commentsThey played at night in Suva last weekend and it’s an afternoon game forecast for 19 degrees in Canberra this weekend. Heat change is a non issue.
2 Go to commentsWishing Rosie a speedy recovery
1 Go to commentsObscene that SA haven’t been knocking
1 Go to commentsChances of Blackadder being injured seem too high to give him serious consideration. ABs loosie combination finally looked good with 2 committed to tackling and clearing rucks in the centre and Ardie roaming. Hoskins/Ardie together would force one of them into where they don’t excel and don’t get to use their talent, or require a change in tactics. If we continue to evolve last years systems I would take Papali’i and Finau at 6 and 7 (conceding that Blackadder will be injured) and Ardie at 8.
35 Go to commentsArdie’s preferred position 7? Where do they get these writers from? I've no idea where he's playing in Japan, but the previous two seasons he wore the 7 jersey exactly twice.
18 Go to comments