Wales register first Test win over Boks on SA soil to level the series

Wales finally broke their duck and Springbok hearts when they stole victory at the death to level the Test series at the Free State Stadium on Saturday.

They recorded their first win by 13-12 against the Boks on SA soil, thanks to a gutsy late rally that saw them grab the lead with less than two minutes to go.

After the Boks had seemingly done enough to win in the first hour, the match came to a tumultuous climax.

Replacement Josh Adams crashed over in the corner in the 78th minute to silence the capacity 42,000 crowd before replacement Gareth Anscombe splendidly converted from the touchline to hand Wales the lead.

The defeat is a double whammy for the Boks as they relinquish the top spot on the world rankings for the first time since 2019 to Ireland who beat the All Blacks earlier in the day.

Bok fans were left disconsolate as their team suffered a defeat many will believe was avoidable.

Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber took the rather unusual step of making 14 changes to their winning team after the first Test as he sought to spread game time in his squad in preparation for next year's Rugby World Cup.

The Boks duly delivered a disjointed first half performance and though they played with more verve and vigour in the 20 minutes after the break they lost their way at the end as the errors started to mount.

They had hoped to wrap up the series and travel to Cape Town emboldened that their groundwork for the RWC was taking shape but now the Webb Ellis Cup seems a distant thought.

Perhaps unsurprisingly given the 14 changes to the starting team the Boks played with little cohesion and continuity in the opening half.

They did not lack enthusiasm but they were devoid of rhythm as the well organised Welsh kept their composure and shape.

The first half proved a real arm wrestle, not that there wasn't attacking intent. The Springboks in particular with their racy three quarters were keen to play with width but the Wales defence was robust and redoubtable.

As was the case in the first Test, they were effective in the tackle often stunting the Boks' momentum with low, almost bootlace tackles.

The Boks in turn, put the squeeze on Wales' ball carriers with lightning line speed, regularly trapping the visitor's advances behind the gainline, Jesse Kriel's powers of organisation proved invaluable.

Apart from being chopped at the knees the Boks also struggled to get front foot grunt by their failure to regularly launch off their line-out.

Not all Joseph Dweba's feeds reached their intended target.

The hosts could not deploy their much vaunted maul as often as they perhaps intended but the halftime break provided them the opportunity to change things up.

Replacement hooker Malcolm Marx made quite an impact off the bench in Pretoria last week and he was again summoned at the start of the second half.

Tighthead prop Vincent Koch also formed part of the new front row configuration and not long after Rynhardt Elstadt, as well as debutants Ntuthuko Mchunu and Deon Fourie were pushed into battle.

The renewed zeal with which the Boks hit the rucks allowed them quicker ball and heavy hitters like Pieter-Steph du Toit and Marx grew increasingly influential.

Warrick Gelant who had a quiet first half by his standards also popped up in positions of promise.

The hosts started the second half with real purpose and got a penalty that got them into the lead in the 44th minute.

Wales squandered the opportunity to immediately restore parity but Biggar missed his second penalty attempt.

The Wales captain seemed to struggle with a shoulder injury.

A week earlier Wales struggled to keep up when the Boks cranked up the heat in the second half but this time they stayed in the fight.

Their error rate increased and they fell foul of the law but they showed composure when it mattered at the end.

Though he had missed two attempts by the hour mark Handré Pollard added three penalties to one he slotted in the first half to give the Boks a buffer going into the final quarter.

However, it was then the Dragons breathed new life into their effort and scorched the Boks at the death.

SOUTH AFRICA (3) 12

Penalties: Handré Pollard (4)

WALES (3) 13

Try: Josh Adams. Conversion: Gareth Anscombe. Penalties: Dan Biggar, Anscombe

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