South Africa thrash Wales with seven tries in Durban

Match Overview

South Africa cruised to a seven-try bonus-point victory over Wales in the third round of the Nations Championship in Durban on Saturday. The final score was 43-0, with the Springboks running in tries through Jasper Wiese, Cobus Reinach, Jessie Kriel, Jaco Williams, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Herschel Jantjies, and Paul de Villiers. Fly-half Vusi Moyo kicked three conversions on his debut, and Manie Libbok added another.

Despite resting several star players including captain Siya Kolisi, Cheslin Kolbe, Ox Nche, and Eben Etzebeth, South Africa dominated from start to finish. The victory highlighted the gulf between the two nations, though it was not as humiliating as the 73-0 record home loss Wales suffered in Cardiff last November. Wales have now failed to score in their last two meetings with South Africa, with an aggregate score of 116-0.

Team Performance

The win was South Africa's 11th in a row, cementing their position at the top of the world rankings, while Wales remain 12th. The Springboks top the northern hemisphere table in the Nations Championship with three wins following earlier victories over England and Scotland.

Wales suffered their second consecutive defeat after a 35-21 loss to Argentina in San Juan. Head coach Steve Tandy has now won only three of his 12 internationals in charge, with those wins coming against Italy, Fiji, and Japan.

Squad Changes

Wales captain Dewi Lake was passed fit despite limping off against the Pumas, but wing Josh Adams withdrew late with a calf problem, replaced by Ellis Mee. Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus made 10 changes to the starting lineup, handing debuts to 20-year-old fly-half Vusi Moyo, wing Jaco Williams, prop Carlu Sadie, and lock Ruben van Heerden.

Match Events

The Springboks started strongly, with Wiese powering over after a break by Aphelele Fassi. Moyo converted his first international points. Wales' scrum struggled, and Reinach scored from the resulting set-piece. After a lull, Kriel crossed just before halftime following a speculative cross-kick from Moyo, making it 19-0 at the break.

Wales made several half-time changes, but South Africa quickly extended their lead when Williams sprinted in for the bonus-point try. Wales applied some pressure but could not breach the Springboks' line. Jantjies added another try after a three-year absence from Test rugby, and replacement prop Ben Warren was yellow-carded for a high tackle. South Africa capitalized with a try to Arendse and finished with a driving maul try from de Villiers.