CARDIFF — World champions South Africa delivered a ruthless, record-breaking performance at Principality Stadium on Saturday, demolishing Wales 73-0 in a one-sided autumn international. The Springboks ran in 11 tries without reply, inflicting Wales's heaviest-ever defeat on home soil and handing the hosts their first scoreless match in Cardiff since 1967.

Fly-half Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu was the chief architect of the destruction, scoring 28 points from two tries and nine conversions. The only blemish on South Africa’s display came in the 79th minute when replacement lock Eben Etzebeth was shown a straight red card for making contact with the eye area of Wales flanker Alex Mann.

A Mismatch From the Start

The gulf between the teams was evident from the opening minutes. South Africa’s forward dominance was established immediately at the first scrum, which resulted in a penalty. From the ensuing pressure, prop Gerhard Steenekamp scored his first Test try in the ninth minute.

The pattern was set. By the 14th minute, winger Ethan Hooker sliced through for a second try. Number eight Jasper Wiese powered over from a dominant pushover scrum just after the half-hour mark. As the first-half clock turned red, scrum-half Morne van den Berg dotted down South Africa’s fourth try for a 28-0 halftime lead.

Wales, missing 13 England and France-based players because the match was scheduled outside World Rugby’s official test window, fielded an inexperienced and physically outsized squad. South Africa’s matchday 23 boasted 899 caps compared to Wales’s 306, and the Springboks’ substitute bench alone contained more international experience (374 caps) than Wales’s entire team.

Carnage Continues in Second Half

Any hope of Welsh resistance evaporated quickly after the break. South Africa scored three tries in the first 10 minutes of the second half through prop Wilco Louw, Feinberg-Mngomezulu, and winger Canan Moodie.

With the contest over, South Africa coach Rassie Erasmus sent on his entire eight-player "Bomb Squad" of replacements. The tries kept coming from centre Andre Esterhuizen, a second for Feinberg-Mngomezulu, and locks Ruan Nortje and Etzebeth. Wales played 20 minutes of the half with 14 men due to yellow cards shown to Taine Plumtree and Aaron Wainwright.

The record books were rewritten. The 73-point margin surpassed Wales’s previous worst home loss—a 68-14 defeat to England in March. It was Wales’s second-worst defeat ever, behind only a 96-13 loss to South Africa in Pretoria in 1998.

Scheduling and Aftermath Draw Scrutiny

The nature of the defeat has sparked a fierce debate about the Welsh Rugby Union’s decision to schedule this lucrative fixture outside the international window. Critics have labeled the match a "greedy venture" that humiliated the home side and damaged player morale for financial gain.

Wales head coach Steve Tandy acknowledged the pain of the result but defended the need for his young team to gain test experience. "It’s really raw for the group," Tandy said. "It’s not for the want of trying... We need Test matches. We need to focus on the bits we’ve done really well".

In contrast, the victory cemented South Africa’s status as the dominant force in world rugby. The team finishes 2025 ranked No. 1 globally for the third consecutive year, with 12 wins from 14 tests. This year, they have evolved into the most potent attacking team in tier-one rugby, averaging 41 points and 5.8 tries per match.

Erasmus offered words of encouragement for Wales, recalling that his own team suffered heavy losses when he took over in 2018 before winning the World Cup a year later. "Test rugby changes very quickly," Erasmus said. "Eventually, somewhere, they’ll be back".

The focus for Welsh rugby now turns to a period of deep introspection before the 2026 Six Nations Championship begins in February. For South Africa, the historic win in Cardiff serves as another powerful statement of their sustained supremacy.