The Welsh rugby team suffered a historic 73-0 defeat against South Africa, marking the end of a complicated year with a humiliation in Cardiff. The match, played at the Principality Stadium, showed the superiority of the Springboks’ game, who managed to score 11 tries.
The match culminated in a controversial incident when Eben Etzebeth, a South African player, was sent off for assaulting Alex Mann. The direct red card was shown in the 79th minute, after a video review revealed contact with Mann’s eye during a dispute between players.
This was the first red card in Etzebeth’s career, who had entered the game as a substitute and, previously, had scored the eleventh try for his team.
South Africa, which will finish 2025 at the top of the world ranking for the third consecutive year, dominated the match from the start, reaching halftime with a 28-0 lead thanks to tries from Gerhard Steenekamp, Ethan Hooker, Jasper Wiese and Morne van der Berg.
In the second half, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu scored twice, and there were also tries from Wilco Louw, Canan Moodie, Andre Esterhuizen, Ruan Nortje and Etzebeth himself, thus surpassing England’s victory in Cardiff in March.
Feinberg-Mngomezulu, who studied at Llandovery College in Carmarthenshire as part of an exchange program, scored 18 points with his foot, reaching a personal total of 28 points.In a year marked by adverse results, Wales suffered their second defeat without scoring points in 2025, after the 43-0 defeat against France in the Six Nations.
The post-match analysis by the Welsh coaching staff will highlight the vast difference between Wales and the world champions. In addition, the Welsh Rugby Union’s decision to schedule this match in the first place will be questioned.
Wales were forced to field a weakened team, without their 13 players playing in English and French teams, because the match was played outside the official World Rugby test window.
While South Africa also had casualties, it was able to count on a large number of talents, and its bench brought together more international matches than the entire Wales team.
South Africa’s dominance was evident from the first scrum, resulting in a penalty in favor of the Springboks.
The ball was recycled for Steenekamp to score the first try, followed by Feinberg-Mngomezulu’s conversion.
South Africa’s scrum superiority led to the second try, and within minutes they had already scored 14 points.
Wiese scored from another scrum five meters from the try line, and in the last minutes of the first half, the visitors got their fourth try.
Esterhuizen opened a gap in the Welsh defense, and Van der Berg scored his fifth try in just six appearances.
The second half continued in the same vein, with Louw capitalizing on a break from Esterhuizen, Feinberg-Mngomezulu scoring, and Moodie chasing a loose ball.
Wales played 20 minutes of the second half with two players less due to yellow cards for Taine Plumtree and Aaron Wainwright, and South Africa did not slow down.
Esterhuizen ran towards the goal and Feinberg-Mngomezulu added his second try, before Nortje and Etzebeth, who could face a long suspension, closed the scoring.
