Steve Tandy Analyses Wales’ Disappointing Performance Against the Springboks

• Wales head coach Steve Tandy spoke to the media after his side suffered a heavy Nations Championship defeat to South Africa at Kings Park
• The Springboks ran in seven unanswered tries as Wales struggled to compete with the world champions' physicality and defensive pressure
• Tandy identified key moments around half-time as turning points and acknowledged areas where Wales must improve before the autumn Tests

Wales head coach Steve Tandy conceded his side were outclassed in every department as South Africa handed them a 43-0 defeat at Kings Park Stadium on Saturday in the Nations Championship.

Speaking to the press afterwards, a visibly disappointed Tandy acknowledged the gap in quality between the two sides, while stopping short of writing off the result as a purely negative experience for his squad.

Springboks Exposed Wales at Every Turn

South Africa dominated possession, territory, set-piece and defence throughout the contest. Wales managed to stay competitive for extended periods in the first half, but the Boks scored seven unanswered tries and grew increasingly dominant after the break.

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Tandy pinpointed the closing stages of the first half and the opening exchanges of the second as the moments that ultimately shaped the scoreline. "Bitterly disappointed with the scoreline," he said. "I commend the team for their effort, they stayed in the fight for large parts of the game. Probably a couple of moments right before half-time and straight after half-time that actually blows it out a bit more."

He also noted that Wales wasted the limited attacking opportunities they created. "We probably could have been a little bit more accurate when we did get the one or two opportunities just over the half-hour mark," he added.

The coach was candid about South Africa's scrum supremacy and the difficulty his side faced in building any offensive momentum. "They squeeze you in and it's probably hard to get some attacking momentum when those kicks are so accurate. Look, they're absolutely a well-oiled machine with a huge depth."

Wales Will Use Defeat as a Learning Tool

Despite the scoreline, Tandy rejected the suggestion that Wales' inability to cross the try line reflected a deeper problem with their attack. "No, I don't think it's a concern … You come up against the best team, probably one of the most physical in the world."

He was, however, clear-eyed about the work that lies ahead. "There's lots of things that we have to get better at and grow our game," he said.

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Wales will now have a three-month break from international rugby before returning to face Japan in Cardiff on 7 November. Tandy indicated the squad would use the intervening period to reflect and recalibrate.

"When you reflect on the year, we've had some really good moments and there've been some young players coming through. We've had some combinations. There's lots of learning; we'll recover, reflect and get ready to go come the autumn."

Source: Briefly News