Malcolm Marx crosses late to help South Africa edge Wales in thriller
almost 4 years in The guardian
Wales 18-23 South AfricaLiam Williams denied potential try by pitch invaderYou guess it’s been a long 24 hours in Cardiff for the South Africans, long enough for them to enjoy a selection of the city’s many delights, the freezing cold weather, the torrential rain, and not one, but two, early morning fire alarm calls in their hotel, one at 3am and then again at 7.20am, which left them standing around out on the street for 20 minutes, mixing with Cardiff’s nightlife. And then, to top it all off, they had a gruelling 80 minute match against a Wales team who were utterly unrecognisable from the lot who shipped 54 points against the All Blacks last week. Still, at the end of it, the Springboks came away with the win, which is all they’ll care about, and a lot of bruises, too.It was a brutal match, a real heavyweight occasion. The Springboks were sure they’d all but won it when Makazole Mapimpi dived over the line to finish what looked to be a length-of-the-field try, sparked by a startling break by Cobus Reinach in the 70th minute. But the television replay showed several of their players had been offside when they were chasing the kick that set him up. And then they really did land the knockout blow, a try that could not be denied, from a lineout drive. Continue reading...