SM
Real Sociedad vs. Real Madrid: 3 hrs 13 mins
Upcoming predictions and previews
Rugby World Cup | Semi-Finals
Oct 27, 2019 at 9am UK
 
Wales
16-19
South Africa
Adams (65')
FT

Rugby World Cup day 38: South Africa end Wales dreams to set up England final

:Headline: Rugby World Cup day 38: South Africa end Wales dreams to set up England final: ID:376485: from db_amp
The Springboks will face England in next Saturday's final.

Wales' World Cup dream ended in Yokohama as they made another painful semi-final exit after losing 19-16 to South Africa.

The Springboks will face England in next Saturday's final following fly-half Handre Pollard's match-winning penalty four minutes from time.

Pollard kicked 14 points and centre Damian de Allende scored a try, with their opponents replying through wing Josh Adams' Wales record-equalling sixth try in one World Cup, three Dan Biggar penalties and a Leigh Halfpenny conversion.

Here, the PA news agency takes a look back at what was Wales coach Warren Gatland's penultimate match in charge.

Springboks edge hard-fought contest

It will not go down as a classic, but South Africa's players and coaching staff will not care after they came out on top in a kicking-dominated battle in Yokohama.

The first half was a war of attrition which ended with South Africa 9-6 ahead thanks to three Pollard penalties and, although Biggar kicked Wales level early in the second half, Damian de Allende burst through the Welsh defensive line to put South Africa 16-9 ahead.

Wales still had time to get back into the contest but captain Alun Wyn Jones boldly opted for a scrum rather than a penalty in front of the posts and the gamble paid off as the ball was worked wide for Josh Adams to dive over in the corner for a converted try that made it 16-16.

Rhys Patchell was off target with a long-range drop-goal attempt and the match was eventually decided in the 76th minute as Pollard held his nerve to slot the winning penalty.

What went wrong for Wales?

Wales coach Warren Gatland unsurprisingly acknowledged that his side paid the price for conceding too many penalties, with those that were in range of the posts all successfully kicked by Pollard.

"We probably gave away too many penalties in our own half and that cost us dearly but I'm proud of the fact that we never gave up and got ourselves back into that game and we were in the arm wrestle," Gatland said.

"Two or three scrum penalties, a couple of line-out penalties are disappointing and that's the difference between the two teams.

"They gave 100 per cent. It was a tough, physical South Africa team that we played against. Our guys didn't take a backward step and I can only be proud of them for that."

Stat attack

Wales' Josh Adams scores his side's first try during their semi-final defeat to South Africa (Adam Davy/PA)

Josh Adams may have ended up on the losing side but his sixth try of the World Cup makes him the leading scorer, one ahead of Japan's Kotaro Matsushima and South Africa's Makazole Mapimpi.

What happens next?

For Wales it is an anti-climactic third/fourth place play-off against New Zealand on Friday, a match which marks the end of the long coaching reigns of Gatland and his All Blacks counterpart Steve Hansen. For South Africa it is on to Saturday's final against England, a repeat of the 2007 final in France won 15-6 by the Springboks.

amp_article__376485 : Database Data restored...  : 
last updated article - 2019-10-27 15:32:28:
html db last update - 2021-02-21 04:43:55 :

ex - 7200 : read : read cache amp html
Share this article now:
Recommended Next on SM
Premier League Table
TeamPWDLFAGDPTS
1Arsenal34245582265677
2Manchester CityMan City33237380324876
3Liverpool34228475344174
4Aston Villa34206871502166
5Tottenham HotspurSpurs32186865491660
6Manchester UnitedMan Utd33165125150153
7Newcastle UnitedNewcastle331551369541550
8West Ham UnitedWest Ham34139125463-948
9Chelsea32138116157447
10Bournemouth34129134960-1145
11Brighton & Hove AlbionBrighton331111115254-244
12Wolverhampton WanderersWolves34127154654-843
13Fulham34126165054-442
14Crystal Palace34109154456-1239
15Brentford3498175259-735
16Everton34118153648-1233
17Nottingham ForestNott'm Forest3479184260-1826
18Luton TownLuton3467214775-2825
19Burnley3458213769-3223
20Sheffield UnitedSheff Utd3437243392-5916
Scroll for more - Tap for full version


Sports Mole provides in-depth previews and predictions for every match from the biggest leagues and competitions in world football.
AL
Sign up for our FREE daily preview newsletter direct to your inbox!

Loading ...

Failed to load data.



. . . . . . . . . . . . . . .