The Springboks can say thank you to their back Damian Willemse who did not shake in the 80th minute, when the two teams were tied and a stupid foul from Welsh captain Dan Biggar gave him the victory penalty.

South Africans and Welsh will meet next Saturday in Bloemfontein, then on July 16 in Cape Town, for the last of their three test matches.

What a disappointment for Wayne Pivac's men, who remained on a fifth place in the Tournament, and who almost took their revenge after being defeated, narrowly already, by South Africa (23-18) at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on November 6th.

Because at half-time, to everyone's surprise, the Welsh were leading (18-3) thanks to a double from their young winger Louis Rees-Zammit (2nd, 32nd) and a drop from Biggar, forty meters away.

The Lost Boks

It was hard to see then how the Springboks were going to overcome this gap, as they struggled to find solutions: disorganized, feverish, they even seemed overwhelmed in the fight, which nevertheless made them superior at the 2019 World Cup in Japan.

South African Cheslin Kolbe (g) and Welsh Liam Williams collide during a test match on July 2, 2022 in Pretoria PHILL MAGAKOE AFP

Especially since their hinge, made up of scrum half Faf de Klerk, author of bad choices and a lot of waste at the foot, and opener Elton Jantjies, unhappy in front of the poles, did not help them.

So much so that the South African coach Jacques Nienaber decided to replace de Klerk after the break with the experienced Willie Le Roux, and that the opening half-half position was entrusted to Willemse.

Stung, the Springboks then managed to find their way to the in-goal, by chaining two tries in force, by their hooker Bongi Mbonambi, then by his replacement Malcom Marx (15-18).

Not enough to panic, however, Dan Biggar's teammates who, thanks to two penalties in a row, took off, before Cheslin Kolbe, with a corner try, brought the two nations closer again (22-24, 67th ).

The end of the match was very complicated for the Welsh, too undisciplined: reduced to fourteen, then thirteen, and finally twelve, after the yellow cards of Alun Wyn Jones, Rees-Zamitt and Rhys Carré, they ended up giving in and conceding a penalty try.

South African winger Chelsin Kolbe scores a try against Wales on July 2, 2022 in Pretoria Christiaan KOTZE AFP

But it was written that the suspense would last until the end: three minutes from the end, the Welsh hooker Dewi Lake put the two teams tied (29-29).

And it was then Biggar, frustrated at not having succeeded in the transformation of victory, who committed a voluntary forward move: what a waste!

© 2022 AFP