Clean sweep a thing of wonder for Wales
WALES completed a first clean sweep of autumn Tests and extended their unbeaten run to nine after toppling South Africa in a titanic clash at the Principality Stadium.
First-half tries by prop Tomas Francis — his first for his country — and full-back Liam Williams sent the Dragons on the way to a fourth successive victory over the Springboks.
But it was a tense and tight affair, with the Springboks responding to a 14-point deficit inside 16 minutes by hitting back through centre Jesse Kriel’s touchdown, plus a penalty apiece from Handre Pollard and Elton Jantjies.
Wales, though, ultimately prevailed, claiming a 10th win from 12 starts this year
Fly-half Gareth Anscombe kicking two conversions and his replacement Dan Biggar played a key role as he landed 68th and 72nd-minute penalties to keep Wales out of reach for the visitors.
Reflecting on Wales’ fourth win from four matches during this autumn campaign — after successes against Scotland, Australia and Tonga — a delighted captain Alun Wyn Jones said afterwards: ‘We’re very pleased with all the wins.
‘There are still patches we’ve got to work on but I think the character we’ve show in a couple of these games — even against Tonga, irrelevant of the scoreline — is the most pleasing thing.
‘We can’t deny there’s a bit of depth developing and credit to the guys in the squad, not just the 20-odd today but the whole squad that have supported each other through the four Tests.
‘It’s hard to deny the depth we have and the amount of people putting their hands up. There are still a few guys that are injured at the minute.
‘It’s hard to put into words having been involved in autumns that haven’t been so successful.’
South Africa captain Siya Kolisi admitted: ‘It was really tough, we played a lot of rugby in our half which was what they wanted. Every time we got into their half we gave away penalties, which made it really tough.
‘They were really smart and did well today. Credit to Jonesy and his team.
‘I am happy (with the autumn) but there is still a lot to do. A lot of positives we can take.’ SCORERS; Wales — Tries: Francis, L Williams. Cons: Anscombe (2). Pens: Biggar (2). South Africa — Try: Kriel. Pens: Pollard, Jantjies. Referee: Luke Pearce (Eng). Attendance: 74,500.