Springboks break Welsh hearts with 31-30 comeback win

A dramatic penalty try two minutes from time saw South Africa complete an incredible comeback to pip Wales 31-30 in the second test on Saturday.

The decisive moment in an action-packed encounter that included seven tries and three yellow cards came when Wales fullback Liam Williams’ last-gasp tackle in the corner on South Africa wing Cornal Hendricks was deemed to be illegal, leading referee Steve Walsh to award a penalty try.

Fly half Morne Steyn duly converted it to put South Africa ahead for the first time in the match, and with his opposite number Dan Biggar failing with two late dropped goal attempts, the Springboks avoided what would have been a first ever home defeat to Wales.

Instead, they recorded their 26th win in 28 tests against the Welsh, although it was almost entirely reliant on a 10-minute burst at the end of each half.

Wales coach Warren Gatland predicted his side would be better prepared after an extra week’s preparation, and he was right as the Welsh screamed into a 17-0 lead and then, after South Africa pulled the game back to 17-14 at half-time, opened up a 13-point gap with 14 minutes to play.

However, on both occasions when the Springboks looked to have been pushed out of the game, they showed that what Wales could do in 30 minutes, they could do in 10 as their two-try blitzes won the day and sealed the two-match series 2-0.

Where South Africa had been almost flawless in the first half of a 38-16 victory in the first test, a litany of errors under heavier Welsh pressure in the second was gratefully seized upon by the visitors.