Finally it has come. Wales have won a Test match on South African soil – and they did it in the most nail-biting fashion.
A touchline conversion from brilliant fly-half replacement Gareth Anscombe, after wing Josh Adams had squeezed over for a try in the 78th minute, got Wayne Pivac’s men over the line in Bloemfontein.
It wasn’t pretty, but what drama.
Wales left it late in a performance that, for all the triumphant narrative, was error-strewn and disjointed.
But it was gutsy and bloody-minded – and that’s what counted in the end.
Wales trailed to four Handre Pollard penalties to one apiece from Dan Biggar and Anscombe and appeared to be destined for the plucky loser’s platform once again.
And when they spilled the ball through a knock-on from kick-off after taking the lead, you feared they were once again about to throw it all away.
Not this time though, Wales held the Bok scrum heroically and then forced a knock-on as their opponents went for the kill. The whistle blew.
Finally. It’s done.
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Pre-match talk comes to nothing
There was a fear that pundit talk about South Africa picking a B team may return to haunt Wales.
It looked for a long time like it might, but the tourists came through.
Suggestions there would be a hollow feel didn’t ring true – there were quite rightly some passionate punches of the air when the job was done. It felt like a memorable day – and of course it was.
Wales now go into the third Test with a chance of an improbable series victory.
Who would have thought it?
Wales’ lack of go-forward
When you boil it down, rugby is all about going forward. Wales just couldn’t do it anywhere near enough for large chunks of this.
Throughout the entire first half they had zero territory in the Bok red zone and lost the battle of the gain-line comprehensively over the 80 minutes.
In fact, it wasn’t even a battle. There wasn’t a single period of the match where they built sustained pressure through multiple phases in the final third.
It has been a problem for nigh on a year for Pivac’s side and remains so.
The forwards were invariably knocked back around the fringes which contrasted to the Boks, who consistently made yardage when they went on the offensive.
The result was that the home defence weren’t forced to reorganise at any rate of knots and so when Wales tried to move the ball wide along their back line there was also no momentum there. Runners were taking the ball standing still and being picked off.
By the last 10 minutes of the opening period there was a Liam Williams chip, a Biggar cross-kick that was well-fielded by Louis Rees-Zammitt and Williams and also a wasted box-kick from scrum-half Kieran Hardy.
It was a sign of desperation, of trying to do something different to find a way through.
But none of it came to anything.
Wales defensive mindset deserves praise
While the Boks power in the collisions tested Wales more than the other way around, some of the Welsh defence in the first 40 minutes was, in fairness, outstanding.
There was organisation and a willingness to put bodies on the line and scramble when the need arose. Cynics will cry that should be a given at this level, but it certainly hasn’t always been (remember Dublin last February?)
The one black mark was over-eagerness in their own 22.
Wales were pulled up three times in the opening half for offside in that area – on one occasion it cost them three points – and were warned as early as the 24th minute by referee Angus Gardner that the next time would see him reaching for a yellow card.
But in the desire and bravery stakes, Dan Lydiate the old warhorse led the way. Some of his chop-tackling, particularly on Bok centre Andre Esterhuizen, was shuddering.
Lydiate was part of a fine Welsh back row effort, epitomised also by rookie openside Tommy Reffell.
Reffell won crucial penalty turnovers in the 10th and 31st minute which owed everything to his strength over the ball and decision-making.
Following on from his heroics in the first Test, you could say it was a case of rock on Tommy.
Trouble was, inevitably they couldn’t maintain it.
The attitude was still there, but in the second half they became panicky as the traffic became more and more one-way in South Africa’s favour, and started coughing up penalties.
Not surprising.
Wales carelessness could have been more costly
No side is perfect but Wales made some criminal unforced errors.
They were lucky to go in at half-time on terms at 3-3 because of their propensity to shoot themselves in the foot when there was absolutely no need.
In the 21st minute they attacked promisingly off solidly won lineout ball only for Adams – on for the injured Alex Cuthbert in the 17th minute – to pass forward to the on-rushing Nick Tompkins.
Moments later, after the Boks had coughed up the ball, Wales were done for not straight at the lineout.
And when Pivac’s men got a good rumbling maul going off a defensive lineout just before the half-hour they somehow allowed Boks second row Eben Etzebeth to steal the ball.
In the 37th minute Adams was at fault again, losing the ball when there was no need on the ground to hooker Joseph Dweba, who went galloping away upfield.
Wales created little enough as it was, without being their own worst enemy when they did work potential chances.
Then there was Biggar. He could be excused for missing the target with a penalty attempt from 48 metres in the 12th minute, but not for doing likewise in the 46th when, albeit feeling the effects of a hurt shoulder, he was wide from a much easier position. Wales couldn’t afford it.
It would be remiss not to add a lost lineout in the 75th minute by Wales in a position that offered them a sumptuous chance to attack.
Had they not squeaked the win they would have been rightly pilloried for that.
