South Africa v Wales LIVE rugby: Result and reaction as Damian Willemse kicks Springboks to last-gasp win
Follow reaction from the first Test of Wales’ summer tour as the Springboks break Welsh hearts
Full back Damian Willemse kicked a pressure penalty after the hooter to secure South Africa rugby a 32-29 victory over ill-disciplined Wales rugby in a see-saw test at a raucous Loftus Versfeld.
Louis Rees-Zammit crossed twice in the first half to put Wales in control and Dewi Lake also crossed to seemingly snatch a draw late on for the tourists, who came agonisingly close to their first-ever victory on South African soil.
They ran the world champions so close but paid the price for their cynical play in their own 22 as they lost four players to yellow cards and conceded a penalty try.
The Springboks might have won by a greater margin but for their own lacklustre play as their tactical kicking was abysmal and decision-making in key phases of play unusually poor. Hookers Bongi Mbonambi and Malcolm Marx, and wing Cheslin Kolbe, crossed for tries for the home side. The second of three tests will be played in Bloemfontein next Saturday with Wales still in search of a first win in South Africa after 11 attempts.
Follow all the reaction below with our live blog:
South Africa 3-8 Wales, 18 minutes
But South Africa’s narrowing of the gap may be brief as Lood de Jager makes a thumping tackle on a player without the ball...
PENALTY! SOUTH AFRICA 3-8 Wales (Elton Jantjies penalty, 17 minutes)
A swift run-up, a sweet strike - South Africa up and running.
South Africa 0-8 Wales, 15 minutes
Right, fluids on board and on we go. South Africa make progress after a lineout with Damian De Allende doing some trademark hard-trucking up the centre. Penalty advantage is not used to the Springboks’ benefit - Elton Jantjies will try again from the tee.
South Africa 0-8 Wales
The players take a water break, which offers us a chance to have a look at Louis Rees-Zammit’s early score:
Missed penalty! South Africa 0-8 Wales, 14 minutes
Off both posts! Not something you see too often as Jantjies’ kick first strikes the left-hand post, then the right, and back out into play into welcoming Welsh mitts.
South Africa 0-8 Wales, 12 minutes
Round one at the scrum is won by South Africa - initially parity giving way to a slight Springboks nudge, and as it goes to floor it is Ox Nche rewarded for his work against Dillon Lewis.
Elton Jantjies will look to get South Africa’s scoring underway.
South Africa 0-8 Wales, 11 minutes
This time Hardy does get the right amplitude, with Etzebeth again attempting a charge down.
Frans Malherbe topples awkwardly over the top of Taulupe Faletau and Dan Lydiate, who stoop incredibly low to try and stall the big tighthead. He lands on his head, but it is tough to see any fault on the part of the two Welsh back-rowers - a position also taken by the match officials after a brief check.
It will be a South African scrum on the left inside the Welsh half after Liam Williams had fumbled following an Elton Jantjies high bomb.
South Africa 0-8 Wales, 10 minutes
It has been a very good start from Kieran Hardy, but that isn’t his best minute, manhandled by a little and large tag team of Cheslin Kolbe and Jasper Wiese, and then failing to clear Eben Etzebeth’s reach with his box kick. Hardy is lucky that the charge down skews into touch.
DROP GOAL! South Africa 0-8 WALES (Dan Biggar drop goal, 9 minutes)
Is that over? It is! A moment of inspiration from Dan Biggar, forced to check on a pass from Kieran Hardy as Wales play aimlessly just inside the South African half. With options limited, he unfurls a long drop-goal, a little nine iron that collects a favourable breeze and drifts through the thin Loftus air, pitching down just beyond the crossbar.
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