The Sports Guru
South Africa changed 10 starters and still looked as though someone had merely rearranged the chairs. Wales changed the furniture at half-time and found the same room waiting for them.
South Africa beat Wales 43-0 in Durban, scoring seven tries to claim a bonus-point victory in the third round of the Nations Championship. The Springboks did it after making 10 starting changes and without Siya Kolisi, Cheslin Kolbe, Ox Nche or Eben Etzebeth, which made the margin feel less like the work of one formidable team sheet than evidence of an entire system functioning properly.
Seven tries, and no Welsh reply
Number eight Jasper Wiese began the scoring after Aphelele Fassi's break had been carried on by the home forwards. Cobus Reinach then sprinted over from a set-piece after the Welsh scrum was dismantled near its own line, before Jessie Kriel collected Vusi Moyo's cross-kick to put South Africa 19 points clear at half-time.
The second half widened the gap. Debutant Jaco Williams ran in the bonus-point try after another loose Welsh kick, Herschel Jantjies scored on his first Test appearance for three years, and Kurt-Lee Arendse crossed while Wales prop Ben Warren was in the sin-bin for a high tackle on Marco van Staden. Paul de Villiers completed the scoring from a driving maul. The route changed. The destination did not.
Wales had their best spell after Williams' try, building concerted pressure through a series of tap penalties, but South Africa kept their line intact. That left Steve Tandy's side scoreless against the Springboks for a second successive meeting and took the aggregate across those two matches to 116-0. November's 73-0 defeat in Cardiff remains the record home loss, yet a smaller number offered very little comfort.
Moyo's first cap carried unusual responsibility
The selection of Moyo was the clearest measure of South Africa's confidence in their depth. With Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Handre Pollard injured and Mannie Libbok on the bench, the 20-year-old Sharks fly-half became the youngest Springboks number 10. He arrived with one club start, won his first cap and converted Wiese's try for his first international points.
Moyo was one of four debutants alongside Williams, Carlu Sadie and Ruben van Heerden. Rassie Erasmus was also missing seven locks, including Etzebeth, but the disruption never became the story of the match. South Africa's scrum still supplied control, the replacements still increased the pressure and the final try still came from the driving maul, rugby's equivalent of finding the spare key exactly where it is supposed to be.
That is the more useful reading of the result for the Springboks. An 11th successive win kept them at the top of the world rankings, while three victories from three against England, Scotland and Wales left them leading the Nations Championship's northern hemisphere table at the halfway stage. The headline is 43-0. The warning to everyone else is how little the identity of the men wearing the shirts appeared to alter the machinery underneath.
Wales end Tandy's first season with familiar problems
Wales arrived after a 39-21 win over Fiji and a 35-21 defeat by Argentina, but their problems in Durban were visible before the scoreboard became severe. Josh Adams withdrew late with a calf problem, bringing Ellis Mee into the side, while an early scrum penalty and ineffective tackling gave South Africa an immediate grip on the match.
Tandy made extensive changes at the interval. Ryan Elias, Nicky Smith and James Botham replaced Dewi Lake, Rhys Carre and Aaron Wainwright, with Joe Hawkins coming on for Max Llewellyn. The response contained effort and one sustained visit to the South African line, but no points. Repeated scrum penalties brought disciplinary warnings, and Warren's yellow card removed whatever room remained for a recovery.
The defeat completed Tandy's first season in charge with three wins and nine losses from 12 internationals. Those victories came against Italy, Fiji and Japan, while Wales sit 12th in the world rankings. South Africa are first. Rankings can sometimes behave like labels left on old jam jars, useful until the contents change. In Durban, the labels were accurate.
Frequently Asked Questions
South Africa beat Wales 43-0 in Durban in the third round of the Nations Championship. The Springboks scored seven tries and secured a bonus point, having led by 19 points at half-time.
Jasper Wiese, Cobus Reinach, Jessie Kriel, Jaco Williams, Herschel Jantjies, Kurt-Lee Arendse and Paul de Villiers scored the seven tries. Williams scored on his South Africa debut, while Jantjies was playing his first Test for three years.
Moyo became the youngest Springboks number 10 when he made his Test debut at age 20. The Sharks fly-half had made just one club start and was selected with Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Handre Pollard injured.
Tandy completed his first season as Wales head coach with three wins and nine defeats in 12 internationals. The victories came against Italy, Fiji and Japan.
Source: BBC Sport.
