Wales hadn’t beaten the Springboks since 2018 until the July 8 win in Bloemfontein. It was just their seventh win all-time against South Africa, and no doubt a surprising result for the home team. Now, the teams head to Cape Town to round out the July tests, with another hard-fought match surely to come.
Here’s everything you need to know about the July 16 match between South Africa and Wales.
2022 South Africa vs Wales
Where: Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town, South Africa
The lowdown: Well, well Wales. On the same day in which a fellow Home Nation, Ireland, beat the All Blacks in New Zealand for the first time, Wales repeated the feat against the Springboks. The Welsh stunned the hosts in Bloemfontein with a defensive-heavy 13-12 win in which the defending world champions didn’t cross the try line.
A week after Damian Willemse’s late penalty denied the visitors a draw in Pretoria, coach Wayne Pivac’s men took it a step further by pulling off the stunning upset, this time being responsible for late heroics through a try from wing Josh Adams in the 77th minute, and then a go-ahead conversion from substitute fly-half Gareth Anscombe two minutes later.
?? 12 v 13??????? – 09.07.2022
?️ Bloemfontein#SAvWAL #History pic.twitter.com/wjG0Hr3GXQ
— Welsh Rugby Union ? (@WelshRugbyUnion) July 10, 2022
South Africa was knocked off its perch as the world’s No. 1-ranked team with the loss (France now holds the top spot for the first time in its history). Coach Jacques Nienaber no doubt rueing his decision to field a heavily-rotated squad for the second game of the tour as Wales decisively took advantage.
However, the tourists didn’t get through the test unscathed. Captain Dan Biggar was forced off with a shoulder injury and could be inactive for the series decider, as could wing Alex Cuthbert following an injury to his arm.
But after nearly six decades and 12 matches of being winless in South Africa, Wales has the right to enjoy a historic achievement for now. Where it could bite them back, however, is if the Springboks—now looking for revenge—show the type of quality that made the unit the Rugby World Cup champions three years ago in Japan.
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