South Africa’s Fourie du Preez breaks Welsh hearts in World Cup quarter-final thriller
Springboks captain scores last-gasp match-winning try for 23-19 victory
Captain Fourie du Preez’s try five minutes from time hauled the Springboks past Wales 23-19 in a thrilling Rugby World Cup quarter-final at Twickenham on Saturday.
Wales were leading 19-18 when scrum half du Preez, cajoled out of test retirement by coach Heyneke Meyer, burst down the blindside off the back of a close-range scrum after a superb pass from No 8 Duane Vermeulen.
At one stage I saw some of the guys lying down and I told the guys, ‘Look we have to go and fight now’, and the guys produced
Fly-half Handre Pollard scored all of two-time world champions South Africa’s other points in a classic battle.
“It was a tough game, they came hard at us,” Du Preez said.
“We just said to ourselves, ‘Keep pushing, keep pushing’. At one stage I saw some of the guys lying down and I told the guys, ‘Look we have to go and fight now’, and the guys produced.”
Du Preez’s score gave South Africa a four-point lead and that meant Wales, with goal-kicking fly-half Dan Biggar off the field for a head injury assessment, needed a try to regain the lead in a brutal and see-saw contest.
Biggar had a fine match, kicking 14 points and setting up Gareth Davies for Wales’ only try.