On the back of a successful Five Nations tournament in which wins were secured over France and England, denying both teams the championship title, in addition to the two Test series victory over Argentina, Wales entered the thirteenth meeting against South Africa buoyed with confidence and a five match winning streak.
Despite this, history spoke for itself and the eleven wins and one draw that the Springboks had notched against Wales demonstrated the lofty position of ‘favourites’ the visitors held as the match at the new national stadium approached. South Africa had prepared for the test against Wales with a 101-0 point mauling of Italy just one week before the clash in Cardiff. Wales were no strangers themselves to such treatment from the ‘Boks, having suffered the humiliation of a 96-13 demolition in Pretoria one year previously. However, to add to their confident mood, Wales could take heart from their most recent encounter with the Springboks, just seven months before this June Test, as Wales had led with a three point margin with just minutes to go in the clash at Wembley before surrendering to a 28-20 loss.
A depleted Millennium Stadium crowd of just over 27,000 bore witness to Wales’s first victory over South Africa due to safety restrictions, as the Stadium was yet to be completed ahead of the Rugby World Cup tournament opening ceremony and initial match to be staged there just a few months later. The Rugby World Cup trophy was paraded by Gareth Edwards and Francois Pienaar prior to the match and the stage was set for an epic encounter.
Mark Taylor, who had played in the 96-13 defeat at the Loftus Versfeld Stadium the previous summer, scored the first try at the Millennium Stadium. With the Welsh forwards (especially the strong front row) dominating their opponents, and leaving Craig Quinnell left with a broken thumb in the process, the home side drew out a 19-6 lead at half time.
The metronomic boot of Neil Jenkins added four penalties during the first half in response to just two three-point efforts from the visiting Boks, with the Welsh pack annilhating their opposition in the scrum.Â
The scoring got underway when Peter Rogers, the Wales prop South African by birth, was caught at the bottom of a ruck by South Africans diving in. Jenkins took the three points for Wales. Moments later referee Ed Morrison penalised Scott Quinnell for coming in over the top at the opposite end and Braam Van Straaten responded in kind, 3-3.
Penalty trading, a past time in the previous match between the two nations was en vogue once more and Jenkins took another three points, this time for a offence by South Africa on Shane Howarth. When Chris Wyatt was taken out by South Africa in the line-out, Jenkins responded again and Wales went 9-3 ahead.
Wales began to enjoy themselves. Camped in the South Africa twenty-two, Scott Quinnell peeled off the back of the scrum and set up a ruck which was fed out to Rogers and then Howarth. Moving across and up field Quinnell got involved in the move again passing to Rogers once more for another ruck, spreading play about the South African defence. Howley passed out to Gareth Thomas but the move fell short of a score and Wales squandered their opportunity as Thomas was penalised for holding on. Jenkins then missed a drop goal attempt and by the time Van Straaten had pulled South Africa back to 9-6 and Jenkins missed a further penalty attempt there was a nervous air around the Millennium Stadium.
Jenkins managed to reset Welsh composure with a penalty for 12-6 after a series of rucks had culminated in Allan Bateman getting stuck at bottom of a ruck by South Africa diving in. Wales opened up once more with another sortie into South African territory and only desperate South African defence stopped a certain score for the home side.
The moment the Stadium and the whole of Wales had been waiting for arrived at the end of the first half. Wales lost their own line-out on the halfway line but a South African fumble forward at the back on the line-out landed in Colin Charvis’s hands. Charvis burst fifteen yards forward to set up a ruck. Quick think from Jenkins saw the ball distributed to Mark Taylor who shrugged off South African tackles to cross the line and made for the gap between the posts. The first try at Millennium Stadium was Welsh; it was also initially credited by the Stadium announcer to Allan Bateman as he and Taylor had swapped jerseys shortly before leaving the tunnel.
South Africa amended their half back structure in the second half but it was of no avail in stopping the Welsh from claiming their initial victory in 93 years of competition between the two nations. Jenkins snatched another penalty for the home crowd to cheer and also sent over Gareth Thomas for his 19th try in 35 matches. He converted Thomas’s effort and although Springbok talisman Percy Montgomery thundered past Shane Howarth for a late try it wasn’t enough to deny the Welsh their victory.
A late defensive scrum for Wales saw Scott Quinnell beckon the crowd to raise their voices and sing Wales home with a chorus of Bread of Heaven before binding with the rest of the forwards.
The sixth win in succession for Graham Henry’s side was an important one; South Africa had been beaten by Wales for the very first time and ensured that ‘opening night’ at the Millennium Stadium had gone with a bang.
