Springbok fans marched to Pretoria in vast numbers and, for most part, endured near capital punishment as their side plodded along against a redoubtable Wales here at Loftus on Saturday.
The 51,762 in attendance, however, waited long enough for clemency to arrive in the shape of a nerveless Damian Willemse penalty that sealed a remarkable come-from-behind win for the Springboks after the siren.
Bok fans had not seen the Green and Gold in live action for three years and, for an interminable period, it looked like the Boks did not show up for the occasion.
The crowd was put through a tense, nerve jangling affair as they watched their team overcome an 18-3 deficit at the break to win 32-29 with the last act of the game.
The expectation was that the Dragons would come out breathing fire but that in the rarefied air they would breathe heavily. That they did and with it went their discipline.
Yellow cards to captain Dan Biggar, erstwhile skipper Alun Wyn Jones, Louis Rees-Zammit and Rhys Carre served to undermine the visitors. The Boks scored second-half maul tries through Bongi Mbonambi and Malcolm Marx, while Cheslin Kolbe and a penalty added to their tally.
While Wales deserves a huge amount of credit, the Boks will have to conduct a searching inquest into what unfolded here yesterday.
The hosts never got into their stride in the first-half. They lacked cohesion and were stunted by resolute Welsh defence. Apart from matching the Bok heavies in the primary phases, Wales were able to neutralise the home team’s hard running forwards. They tackled low, thus denying the hulking Bok forwards the opportunity to breach the advantage line.
At times those tackles were so low they bordered the grass-cutter hits the game’s lawmakers are trying to outlaw.
Still, it proved effective but Wales were stymieing the Boks on multiple fronts. At the breakdown too, the hosts did not go about their business with the authority one has come to expect in the first half.
Elementary errors also dogged the Boks. They struggled to find touch off penalties and there was a moment when something as basic as a quick tap also proved beyond their grasp.
As much as the Boks held the territorial ascendancy, they did not make much headway on the scoreboard.
Loftus fell silent in the fourth minute. Wales made cheap metres close the touchline after a line-out and when they hit right they did so with such speed and precision it created an overlap for Rees-Zammit who darted clear and scored in the corner.
Soon after there was another moment where you could hear a penny drop and that was in anticipation of confirmation that Biggar’s long distance drop goal was successful.
Georgian referee Nika Amashukeli was so far from the poles that he could not accurately tell whether the drop was good. TV replays confirmed it did.
Wales were ruthless when opportunity fell their way in the opening half. The scraps that came their way they maximised through two tries for right wing Rees-Zammit, while Biggar had the ball on a string.
By the time the second-half got underway, Elton Jantjies was withdrawn from the action with Willie le Roux taking the field. It meant Willemse, who started at fullback, moved to flyhalf while Le Roux took up his normal position at the back.
“Haal hom af!” (take him off) cried a spectator in the Main Stand as Jantjies missed a second penalty attempt. He then kicked a penalty to the corner flag dead.
By withdrawing Jantjies under the cloak of the half-time break they perhaps secured the player a more dignified exit but whether there will be long-term fallout remains to be seen. The flyhalf is as capable of shooting the lights out as he is running up blind alleys.
Bok coach Jacques Nienaber had stressed in the build-up that his team would have to find solutions on the field but he too had to short circuit the problems as they emerged.
Apart from the introduction of Le Roux, hooker Malcolm Marx and loose forward Elrigh Louw were sent into battle shortly after the break. Marx made an immediate impact, as did rest of the bench who helped get the Boks out of jail.
Springboks vs Wales scorers
SA (3) 32 – Tries: Bongi Mbonambi, Malcolm Marx, Cheslin Kolbe, a penalty try. Conversions: Damian Willemse (2). Penalties: Elton Jantjies, Willemse.
Wales (18) 29 – Tries: Louis Rees-Zammit (2), Dewi Lake. Conversion: Dan Biggar. Penalties: Biggar (2). Drop goal: Biggar.
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