South Africa 43-0 Wales: Nations Championship 2026 – as it happened

Image source, Getty Images

So, Wales finish their first season under Steve Tandy
with another defeat, a ninth in 12 Tests.

It was an expected loss against South Africa and being
competitive would have been a success in Durban given that it was the number
one side in the world rankings against the 12th.

In truth, they weren’t when nilled for the
second time this season by the world champions.

The bookies gave Tandy’s men a 42-point head start
in the handicap before kick-off and that proved to be a good prediction.

Wales showed fight and spirit but it
was only Springboks’ inaccuracy that kept the score down.

The world champions
have plenty more gears to go through and will be a different beast against New Zealand in the coming months.

Dewi Lake & Co know that the gulf to the top Test
teams remains huge despite some improvements made through 2025-26.

Can Wales close the gap when the Nations Championship
returns in November? Japan is a must-win followed by fixtures against New
Zealand and Australia in Cardiff.

A long season comes to an end, with Cardiff, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets already back in training ahead of 2026-27.

See you in September for the United Rugby Championship!