Many had expected this match to be a continuation of the mauling that Wales had experienced in Pretoria only six months earlier, but, with new coach Graham Henry at the helm and a clean slate approach, Henry’s Wales consigned the burden of recent performances to the dustbin of history. A team picked on form and ability went out to meet the Springboks by playing to their own strengths and at a Stadium noted for moments of brilliance in a game of kicking, it was a game of kicking brilliance that kept Wales ahead and in the match for the majority of the game. Only the usual South African show guile undid one of the best Welsh performances of the time.
Wales got out of the traps early with a try from Gareth Thomas. A quickly taken penalty from an infringement on Scott Quinnell saw a move produced finished off by Thomas in the corner. Shane Howarth had fed Thomas for the try and whilst Pieter Roussow had managed to get to Howarth in time he couldn’t stop his offload. Neil Jenkins missed the subsequent conversion but didn’t have to wait long for another crack at the posts as butting in the scrum saw him score a penalty to go 8-0 in front.
Pinching themselves the fans roared the home side on and another penalty was given when hooker James Dalton was deemed to have been offside when no ruck had formed. Jenkins pushed Wales ahead to 11-0 and stretched his own record to 600 points in internationals in the process. Rob Howley produced an up and under and South Africa were offside again, Jenkins stepped up for 14-0, two scores in front.
The deficit only served to anger South Africa who decided to fight back and pressure Wales on their own line. When the home team collapsed the scrum, South Africa were awarded a penalty try. Pieter Roussow then broke through the Welsh back line and passed to Joost Van der Westhuizen who did his usual job of making Welsh life a misery with a try. The score stretched Van der Westhuizen’s own all-time Springbok scoring record in the process. Scratching their heads, Wales went in level at half time.
Another penalty at the beginning of the second half appeared to set Welsh composure and Jenkins put them 17-14 ahead. The joy was short-lived as Franco Smith responded in kind only minutes later 17-17. Wales went 20-17 ahead with yet another penalty after South Africa interfered with a tackle on their own twenty-two. Trading penalties had become the fashion by this point in the match and camped on Wales’s twenty-two, South Africa earned a penalty of their own again to draw 20-20.
It looked odds on for another draw between the two countries before late persistence saw Andre Venter break through for a late try after Van der Westhuizen had cut Wales apart earlier in the move; calls for a fumble by Johan Erasmus along the way were dismissed as the ball was deemed to have gone backwards.
The resulting conversion was missed but when the Welsh scrum went down again late into the game, a further Smith penalty sealed Wales’s fate by eight points.
