They couldn’t dare make a pig’s ear of the significant occasion for centurion Eben Etzebeth and half centurion Bongi Mbonambi at a venue where they play most of their rugby.
They couldn’t dare allow Wales to register their first series win in SA under their watch and disappoint a raucous Cape Town Stadium bursting at the seams with millions watching on television.
From the beginning, this occasion in which the Boks beat Wales 30-14 to clinch the series 2-1, had a feel of a celebration as Etzebeth became the seventh and youngest Springbok in history to earn 100 Test caps.
For his troubles, the powerful lock joined an exclusive 100 club that boasts Bok greats Victor Matfield, Bryan Habana, Tendai Mtawarira, John Smit, Jean de Villiers and Percy Montgomery.
When players walked out for a feel of the pitch before the match, Etzebeth stood in the centre circle for a while, looking around the stadium at appreciative fans.
For a powerful man mountain like him, it was strange that Etzebeth was introduced to the field by operatic music as he led the team before the national anthems.
When he was replaced on the hour mark by Franco Mostert, he received a standing ovation after an impressive performance in which he carried and tackled with aplomb.
And then there was Mbonambi, another key member of this Springboks side who capped his half century of appearances with the second try of the afternoon in the first half.
There was another special moment as the son of this province, Breyton Paulse — who played 64 Test matches for SA as a winger and scored 26 tries — was the designated flag bearer.
SA, who were erratic at times, went to the break leading by nine points after two tries from Handré Pollard and Mbonambi, while Wales responded with one of theirs by Tommy Reffell.
During the opening exchanges, the Boks lost Cheslin Kolbe after 20 minutes with what looked like a serious jaw injury and he was replaced by veteran Willie le Roux.
In the second half, Siya Kolisi scored the third try for the Boks and it was also a successful day in the office for Pollard, who scored 17 points from a try, two penalties and three conversions.
In the build-up to this match, Kolisi said their aim was to do it for Etzebeth and Mbonambi and to put smiles on the faces of South Africans — and they did just that.
It was not all pretty, as this full-strength Boks side was at times frustrated by Wales but they had enough in the tank to win this deciding match.
This series started three weeks ago with the Boks needing a penalty after the hooter from Damian Willemse to narrowly beat spirited Wales 29-23 after they were 18-3 down at half time.
In that match, the Boks were lethargic in the first half but they launched a spirited fightback after the break to score three tries by Mbonambi, Malcolm Marx and Cheslin Kolbe.
With a 1-0 lead in the series, coach Jacques Nienaber tinkered with the team as he made 14 changes to the starting line-up for the second Test in Bloemfontein, to the displeasure of many people.
The Welsh Dragons took advantage to finally break their duck and record their first and narrow win (13-12) at the death on SA soil and most importantly to level the Test series.
However, the Boks prevailed with players like Ntuthuko Mchunu, Ruan Nortje, Deon Fourie and Grant Williams having tasted international action.
It was a day of deciders in world rugby as Ireland stunned New Zealand 32-22 earlier in the day in Wellington to win their series 2-1 and at the same time hand the All Blacks their first back-to-back defeats at home in 24 years.
In another important international rugby match yesterday, England got the better of Australia 21-17 to win their series at the Sydney Cricket Ground in what turned out to be a good day for rugby in the northern hemisphere.
SA vs Wales score
SA (17) 30
Wales (8) 14
SA – Tries: Handré Pollard, Bongi Mbonambi, Siya Kolisi, Conversions: Handré Pollard (3), Penalty: Handré Pollard (3)
Wales – Try: Tommy Reffell, Conversions: Dan Biggar (1), Penalties: Dan Biggar (3)
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