Thanks all for your company and comments.That’s the end of the Autumn fixtures, see you back here for the Six Nations.Siya Kolisi is offering thoughts“We had to fight, we respected them, we didn’t play in our half and made sure we played.I’m sure [Etzebeth] didn’t mean to do that [eye gouge] on purpose and I don’t want that to be the highlight of the game.The only way a team can get better is play the best, so next year after facing this they will be better.

The Wales people are fighting people and we’ve been through this too after 2015, so it can get better.”Dan Biggar is keeping it real on TV“There are players there that aren’t at this level now, and may not play this level again.I don’t think anyone learned anything from that.”Andre Esterhuizen is the deserved Player Of The Match“We worked really hard for it so pleased to achieve the clean sweep [in the Autumn].Whatever team we pick every guy steps up and everyone knows their role and trusts each other.

In Wales you can always expect a team that never gives up and physically front up.”A total dismantling by South Africa of a callow Wales team.The Boks cement their status as the world’s top team and the size of the challenge facing the home side is a laid bare.80 mins.There is a last attack by Wales in the Bok 5m zone, but the ball is lost forward and then despatched to touch to end a dominant win for the best in the world.

79 mins.Wales have a run in the middle third where there is a infringement by the Bok defence.There’s some niggly afters from the visitors so the ref marches them 10 more metres for dissent.It’s a straight red for the big lock.And quite right too.

78 mins.A little push and shove has kicked off in midfield with a smiling Etzebeth at the centre of it all.Alex Mann is the Wales player in the midst for the second week in a row as he as amongst it vs NZ as well.He’s rum lad the young Cardiff back row.However, a TMO replay suggests he may have reason to be aggrieved as Etzebeth has clearly rammed his thumb into the Welshman’s eye.

76 mins.A tired set in the middle of the park has the ball loose on the ground for Wales to hack it forward to start a big chase.There are plenty players within a grasp of the ball, but it ends up rolling dead.74 mins.The scrum is a mess from Wales with Morse fumbling his pickup at the back.

Possession goes back to South Africa who waste no time getting to the line for Etzebeth to score.The conversion is missed.73 mins.One thing that Wales can take as a positive from this game is that they’ve done a great job containing every Boks maul, and they do it again here as the visitors attempt to drive over from a lineout.The Welsh get amongst it to prevent the ball coming out and win a scrum.

70 mins.More easily contained attacking patterns by Wales on halfway, this time ended by Kwagga Smith clamping on the ball at the ruck to win a penalty.68 mins.The latest crumpling of the Welsh scrum leads to an attack on a penalty advantage that ends with a forward pass to Willemse.Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu taps the next penalty and races towards the posts where he is held up, but three phases later Nortje forces over.

65 mins.Every attack Wales attempt is snuffed out by either the Bok defence line smothering their passing, or a misdirected cross-kick option after the previously described passing effort becomes to sorrowful to attempt another time.63 mins.Ball off the top of a lineout finds Esterhuizen on another booming crash-ball run into the Wales red zone.On the next phase the defence and sixes and sevens can do little to prevent Feinberg-Mngomezulu waltzing over.

60 mins.Lake has a run from a tap and go and is rattled by a big hit before Mann has a go himself.He runs a little too far away from his supporting clearout runners, and that split second on the ground is all Esterhuizen needs to get his hands on it to win a holding on penalty.The Boks defence celebrate like it’s a last minute win, such is their way.58 mins.

The home side are camped out on the Bok 5m line, with the visiting defence repeatedly giving away offside penalties.On the advantage Murray is found in the 13 channel and he attempts to step his way through the tackles without success.56 mins.Wales have their best period of the game with Sheedy conducitng the attack, left and right, with some clever cross-kicks from him and Hawkins.The Bok defence is up to the task, but not without infringing at a ruck on the 22.

In the run up, Wainwright was high in the tackle and his shoulder made contact with the head.He’s off and the bunker will review it.53 mins.Every possession from the Boks in the Wales half now results in a try, pretty much.The latest is a simple draw and pass move repeated all the way left to the big centre to race over on the left touchline.

52 mins.Wales have a lineout just inside the Bok half as Rassie empties the bench and makes all eight replacements in one go.The ball is won by the home side and moved left, but there’s an understandable desperation about their passing and the final one is behind Mee and into touch.49 mins.There is some Wales possession in the Bok half, which moves the ball left and right, but it’s very lateral and ultimately leads to the ball going to ground.

This is leapt on by Moodie who boots it forward to chase to the line, gather it and score with three Welsh defenders trailing in his jetwash.46 mins.It looks like Wales have done a good job spoiling SA possession but the ref concludes it was hands in the ruck.This gives Feinberg-Mngomezulu to quickly tap the ball and race 30 metres to the line.He converts his own score.

Plumtree was offside in the run up to the try and pays the price for the consistent offside infringements by his team.44 mins.Wales do another great job of defending a Bok maul from a lineout close to the line which forces the ball to the backs.But the effort undertaken to contain the maul means there a gaps elsewhere and Louw is over.42 mins.

Some phases with the ball in the middle third by South Africa lead to Wales being offside in defence.They are understandably attempting a big blitz, but timing was slightly off.The game is afoot once moreMore half-time postbag, this one from Matt Dony“The WRU should have been watching the Welsh FA closely over the last 15 years or so, and taken copious notes.The Welsh FA has made so many good decisions, put the fans first, employed the right people with the right experience, used the budget fairly across all Welsh football, just generally helped the game to flourish.Yes, I know it’s different, but the WRU haven’t done ANY of those things.

And the results speak for themselves.A game against the Springboks, and the stadium is nowhere near full? It’s just another symptom of a deeper malaise.Richard Collier-Keywood boasted about how he has ‘fun in this job, every day.’ Those attached to Scarlets and Ospreys, who don’t know whether they have a future and can’t make plans, are not having fun.The fans paying extortionate prices to watch poor performances are not having fun.

The whole set-up is just not good enough.”“Your tone is patronising and unfair.” says Gareth Thomas “This game was arranged when Wales were in their pomp.There has to be a rebuilding process and there is much to praise in this Autumn series.”This fixture was arranged in COVID, and there has been plenty of contracts and agreements that were decided as not needed since then.

Wales have also played SA seven times since 2020, so dropping this one would not have been a hardship for anyone.Wales also finished that year losing 32-9 to Ireland, so I don’t agree with your definition of their status at that time.I agree that there are some positives from this Autumn for Wales, which I referenced in the preamble as being another reason why this fixture was a stupid idea given it was always likely to be this way.Now the last fixture of the series is an utter pastingThis game has nothing to do with a rebuilding process and everything to do with the WRU being utterly dreadful at their job.PEEEEEEP! That’s last act of an entirely expected half of rugby.

40+3 mins.An absolutely massive carry by Esterhuizen clatters to within a metre and two short phases later the scrum half is over to score.40+1 mins.South African rampage 80 metres back the other way and are hammering away at the Wales line.The ball is fumbled, but the defence were offside and so the visitors will go again before half time.

39 mins.A strong maul in the middle of park by Wales is followed by a good claim of a kick chase by Dyer.The ball is fizzed to Edwards who tries to locate Mee in acres of space on the right with a cross-kick.It’s overcooked and Mee can only screw his attempt to volley it into touch.38 mins.

A Boks catch and drive inside the 22 is held still by Wales, which forces the visitors to move it out to the backs.They move it all the way to the right where Willemse joins the line out wide, but a double tackle from Roberts and Dyer stops him and forces a penalty.35 mins.The lineout, the one thing that has functioned for Wales in this game, chooses now to go haywire with Lake overthrowing Mann at the tail.The loose ball is pounced on by Edwards but his team mates are penalised for sealing off when they arrive to assist him.

33 mins.WALES HAVE WON A SCRUM PENALTY! Blow the whistle, stop the count, end the game, etc, for surely it cannot get better than this.22m lineout for Wales incoming.30 mins.Kolisi has a dart at the line from short metres after another imperious march into the Wales 5m area from his forwards.

The captain is held up short and the ball is flung wide towards Hooker but it drifts forward.There was an advantage being played however, and South Africa take the scrum option and snowplough Wales off their path for Wiese to dot it down.28 mins.The plan for Wales on their own scrum is to get the ball in quick then boot it back to Wainwright to pick up as quick as he can.This has worked well twice now, and the latest version here allows Hardy to clear the ball