Wales 0-73 South Africa
Springboks score 11 tries but Etzebeth sent off for eye gouge
Every bit as dispiriting as expected. Worse, was it pointless? Well, it certainly had more points to it than Wales would have liked. But, worse again, was it actively alienating? A record defeat, the first time since 1967 Wales have failed to score a point here, 11 tries conceded.
South Africa continue to demonstrate their superiority over every other nation. People are starting to compare them to the best sides we have ever seen. And they remain as brutal as ever, mostly legitimately, sometimes less so. They received their third red card of the autumn, their third to a second row, but there was no arguing with this one. Eben Etzebeth, a full head taller than any of his opponents in the middle of a fracas two minutes from time, jabbed his thumb into the eye of Alex Mann. The least contentious red card of the autumn.
The buildup to this Test was dominated by its characterisation as the game no one wanted, each side surrendering upwards of a dozen players to their respective clubs in England and France, the international window now shut. The Welsh regions were down to the bare bones as well, shipping in players on loan to fulfil their fixtures in the United Rugby Championship.
