Roll back the clock a few years. Dan Biggar is yellow carded, misses a conversion to give his team the lead and gives away the crucial penalty that sees Wales lose 32-29 to the world champions in the final seconds.
The reaction would have been ugly. Criticism at home would have been fierce and abroad there would be ridicule over his, at times, over-zealous protestations at the officiating and his squaring up to Cheslin Kolbe.
But following the first Test in Pretoria, something very different happened. Social media was awash with support for Biggar, with Welsh fans gleefully professing their relief that he is 'one of ours'. The outpouring of love for the fly-half was notable. But why?
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A happy consequence of Biggar taking on the role of captain is that he was hauled in front of the media twice-a-week - after the team announcements and after the matches. After the battle at Loftus, the nation rallied behind Biggar following his post-match remarks in the press conference when he was quizzed about Wales' combative approach.
“I don’t know what the referee expected us to do, just come here, lie down and give South Africa everything their own way? From our point of view, we wanted to try and get in their faces, get in their faces and not take a backwards step. That’s part of the game."
Biggar is the kind of player who opposing fans usually love to hate. But what has also been clear over the last few weeks is that he has won over Springbok followers.
Those who have been paying attention in recent years would have noted the way he sent condolences to the family of Matthew J Watkins after Wales' defeat at Twickenham. How he was front and centre, speaking (very limited) Japanese to locals when the squad arrived in Japan for the 2019 Rugby World Cup.
But in South Africa, because he was put in front of the media - the majority of it being local - his personality shone through more than before.
Even after a highly-charged defeat in Pretoria, he had the wherewithal to compose himself within minutes of the final whistle and discuss how much of a privilege it was to play at Loftus Versfeld, an atmosphere he now ranks as one of the best he's experienced.
In the build up to the final Test, he interrupted one of his own answers to pay tribute to Eben Etzebeth and Bongi Mbonambi, who were playing in their 100th and 50th Test matches respectively 48 hours later.
Following the series defeat on Saturday night, he again earned favour with the locals when, without being asked, he paused his press conference to offer one final gesture of respect.
"I will say that we've loved South Africa. It's been an absolute pleasure to come here. Everyone has treated us with warmth and I hope that you've enjoyed having us here. We've loved the country," he said.
Again, social media was littered with comments along the lines of 'come back any time', 'we've loved having you here' etc. In the media room following the final press conference there were murmurs of how brilliant Biggar has been in making those little comments, being generous and giving articulate, thoughtful answers.
In an age when players generally err on the side of saying as little as possible through fear of saying the wrong thing, Biggar remains a throwback.
He has spoken his mind and been very unapologetic about Wales' approach and motives coming to South Africa, but it has been balanced with a level of respect that has resonated with the locals.
In many ways, South Africa is the perfect place for Dan Biggar to tour. It's uncompromising, the rugby is brutal and you require buckets of desire and resilience to survive.
What has been glaringly obvious in the last three weeks is just how much Biggar has loved being in South Africa and how much South Africa has loved having him.
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