There were four splendid minutes from the Springboks at the very start of this match before their radiant championship-look faded to a death-like-grey, and 76 mostly turgid minutes ensued that have all but confirmed that the Springbok Old Guard is, well, too old and the Webb Ellis Cup is destined for new hands.
The Boks were desperately poor in everything, but that old South African safety net – never-say-die fortitude. And instead of making a statement of intent as to their title aspirations, the only marker they have laid down for this tournament is that the majority of this team should be at home on their porch with their pipes and slippers.
Wales, the second youngest team in the tournament after pace-setters Australia, played with the enthusiasm and intensity of the Springbok side of 2007, while the Boks looked worryingly like the Australian has-beens of 1995.
Coach Peter de Villiers spoke glowingly afterwards about the character shown by his team but, to be frank, these were empty platitudes because the Springboks were inept and lucky in equally high measures.
Numerous players said after the match that winning ugly might benefit the team going forward in terms of keeping their feet on the ground while buying time for them to improve their game but, in truth, they are clutching at straws because there simply was no foundation here to suggest that the Boks have a Plan B when the opposition matches or betters their physicality at the breakdown.
There were exceptions. We could venture to say that the Boks would certainly have lost had it not been for the heroics of flankers Heinrich Brüssow and Schalk Burger, and the substitution of Willem Alberts for the anonymous and perennially ineffective Pierre Spies, while hooker replacement Bismarck du Plessis was sensational in his impact.
Worryingly for the Boks, by the 45th minute they had lost Victor Matfield to the hamstring injury that had threatened to keep him out of the match; Bryan Habana to a bruised knee, Jean de Villiers to suspected broken ribs, while Bakkies Botha is in danger of missing all of the Pool games because of his Achilles tendon injury.
The Boks had started off irresistibly, going through a multitude of phases before the ball was worked out to Frans Steyn, who scored in the corner with namesake Morné kicking the difficult conversion.
But it was downhill from there, with the fullback deteriorating rapidly from his accomplished start, while Welsh No12 Jamie Roberts made big inroads in running at the flyhalf channel.
Inside both of those players, Fourie du Preez had arguably his most forgettable day in a Springbok jersey. Four years ago almost to the day he was the best in the business when the Boks routed England but, on Sunday, he fumbled and bumbled, and the Boks desperately need him to pull himself together because when he is on top of his game he can make the Boks’ limited game plan workable.
After that first 10 minutes off stage fright, the Welsh dragon found its fire, and blew the Boks off the park for the next hour, and only the rugby gods spared the Boks a shock defeat, with a drop goal attempt from impressive rookie flyhalf Rhys Priestland going wide and James Hook fluffing two penalty attempts, one of which seemed to slip inside the very top of the right-hand upright.
After half-time, the Boks were expected to extinguish the Welsh flame having discussed their shortfalls during the break, but Wales continued to dictate the terms and the Boks, quite honestly, looked utterly bedraggled.
Welsh No 8 Toby Faletau surged over after a consolidated build-up and with 15 minutes to go the rattled South Africans at last pulled themselves together and engineered enough phases in the right part of the field for Du Preez to give a slip pass to replacement wing Francois Hougaard to score a well-worked, match-winning try – by far the positive of the second half on a night when it became clear that only a miracle will prevent the Boks from surrendering their crown.
Wales: Try: T Faletau; Conversion: J Hook; Penalties: Hook (3)
South Africa: Tries: F Steyn, F Hougaard; Conversions: M Steyn (2); Penalties: M Steyn
HERO FOR A DAY
Heinrich Brüssow: At times he seemed to be a one-man band in the battle with the supercharged Welsh forwards. He was much hyped going into the game, and he lived up to it.
BAD BOY BLUES
There were many contenders amongst the Boks, but maybe the true villain was amongst the match officials when it became evident from the TV replays that a James Hook penalty attempt that had been ruled wide by the touch judges might well have slipped inside the very tip of the right-hand upright.
TIER 1 AWESOME ...
When all seemed lost for the Boks, X-Man Francois Hougaard ran a great line of his blindside wing to take a short pass from Fourie du Preez to score an against-the-run-of-play try.
... and TIER 2 MISTAKES
Take your pick from Frans Steyn idly watching the ball meander close to the touch line with the Welsh almost snatching it to score or Du Preez and Hougaard trying to run the ball out of their 22 and only miraculously escaping punishment for their folly.