Wales 13-96 South Africa, 1998
Dark day for Welsh Rugby
'98 Incoming Tour
WEB June 1998 was a dark day in the history of fixtures between Wales and South Africa as an inexperienced Welsh team, containing 10 debutants, were crushed 96-13 by the reigning world champions in Pretoria.
The Springboks ran in 14 tries, with full-back Percy Montgomery kicking 24 points, as Wales suffered their heaviest ever defeat at international level.
The match was a mismatch from the start, with South Africa dominating the set-piece and the Welsh defence unable to cope with the power and pace of the Springboks attack.
Wales had taken an early lead through a penalty from Neil Jenkins, but South Africa responded with a try from wing Pieter Rossouw and never looked back.
The defeat was a low point for Welsh rugby, but it also marked the start of a new era, with many of the players who featured in that match going on to become key members of the Wales team that won the Grand Slam in 2005.
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