South Africa‘s vaunted rolling maul delivered a late try and gave the Springboks a come-from-behind 23-18 win over Wales to end their Cardiff curse on Saturday.
Replacement hooker Malcolm Marx went over from the lineout maul in the 73rd minute to put the world champion ahead for the first time at Principality Stadium.
Elton Jantjies added a penalty from in front of the posts after the final hooter as Wales was forced to chase the game and wound up pinned deep in its own half.
The turnaround gave South Africa its first win in Cardiff since 2013 and ended a hex that had irritated the Boks and provided them with their pre-match inspiration.
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“We’re glad to break the hoodoo,” coach Jacques Nienaber said.
“We thought it would be a grind. I think in the first half, the conditions we struggled with and our discipline was poor. We rectified that in the second half. It was probably overeagerness. We just weren’t accurate.”
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Wales won the last four against the Springboks at Principality Stadium and looked set to continue that run in teeming rain in Cardiff. Recalled flyhalf Dan Biggar provided a faultless performance with the boot to kick six penalties and keep Wales ahead for most of the game.
“We are disappointed not to hold on in that last 10 minutes, but it was a game where there were some fine margins,” Wales coach Wayne Pivac said.
“We lived on the edge and gave away a silly penalty before halftime and then another to set up their try.”
The Welsh were dominated in the scrum and gave away a penalty nearly every time South Africa had the put-in. But the home team negotiated that problem and also blunted the big South African forwards’ rolling maul most of the time, although not when it counted right at the end.
The Springboks had a try by wing Makazole Mapimpi disallowed with 10 minutes to go but kept faith in their maul a few minutes later by turning down a kickable penalty when 18-15 down with time ticking away, and going for the corner instead.
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Marx and the rest of the forwards made sure the decision was the right one as the Welsh defense was finally breached having blunted the Boks’ drives from lineouts on numerous occasions.
The contest was tight and kick-dominated, partly because of the weather, but mostly because South Africa wanted it that way.
Wales dealt with South Africa’s consistent kicking and chasing from the base of the ruck and, in turn, created the two clearest chances before the final countdown.
Wing Louis Rees-Zammit had sight of the try-line from an overlap on his right wing in the first half but was stopped a meter out and put into touch by a cover tackle from Springboks captain Siya Kolisi, with help from scrumhalf Herschel Jantjies.
Wales also forced a rare opening for replacement back Liam Williams deep in the second half and just before South Africa’s rally.
However, Williams ran into the bizarre situation of a fan who invaded the field being tackled to the ground by security right in front of him, and he had to change direction slightly to avoid that, and the Springboks covered again.
Wales was 15-9 ahead early in the second half but couldn’t shrug off the Springboks, who kept coming back.
The match-winning maul ground slowly toward Wales’ line until Marx, with a couple of teammates in tow, burst clear and went over near the left corner.
It was celebrated gleefully by Nienaber and South Africa director of rugby Rassie Erasmus, who was back with the team on gameday for the first time since August.
Erasmus appeared at a World Rugby disciplinary hearing last weekend to face a charge of misconduct for a video which was made public in which he criticized a referee during the British and Irish Lions series in South Africa.
The Springboks play Scotland next weekend and then England to round off their end-of-year tour.
Wales, which was thumped by New Zealand 54-16 last weekend, has tests against Fiji and Australia to come.