Wales player ratings: Given the gap between these sides in terms of talent, it would have been unfair to rate these Wales players too harshly – even on a 73-0 scoreline at home at the Principality Stadium.

With that said, there were moments of low effort and their heads went down too early here when South Africa started scoring almost immediately. Welsh body language suggested they didn’t believe it was a winnable game which is a dangerous mindset against this South African team.

Here’s how the Wales players rated:

1. Gareth Thomas – 4
A messy outing. Obliterated in the very first scrum, a worrying sight after the Boks dismantled Ireland a week earlier. Wales’ pre-match confidence around their set-piece evaporated on first contact and Thomas never fully recovered. Tried to stabilise the platform but leaked pressure, and a couple of soft moments in contact said plenty about the strain he was under.

2. Dewi Lake – 7
Gave as good as he got in the collisions and didn’t wilt when the Boks poured through the middle channels. His throwing wasn’t the total Achilles heel some feared, though he had the odd jittery moments. Tackled hard, carried honestly and kept swinging until replaced on 77 minutes. One of the few lump-for-lump combatants who genuinely looked up for the fight.

3. Keiron Assiratti – 5
Did his best to fight a losing battle in the scrum, though that’s a generous description given how quickly South Africa asserted dominance. A couple of stabilising moments did arrive later when the Boks’ eagerness for the kill earned Wales some charitable whistles from Luc Ramos. Still, he worked and didn’t hide, which is more than can be said for others.

4. Ben Carter – 5.5
Put in a big shot on a Bok ball-carrier and at least brought some bite defensively. Carried little and spent most of the match folding into tackle after tackle. Within the chaos, he held his discipline better than partners around him.

5. Rhys Davies – 5
Gave away too many penalties and struggled to hold shape in a leaking defensive system. A bruising afternoon where every technical error was magnified under South Africa’s pressure game. Not short on workrate but couldn’t match the physical pitch of the game.

6. Taine Plumtree – 5.5
Looked very green and a little lightweight against this level of opponent. The yellow card just after the break summed up a raw performance. Did produce an excellent tackle-rip on Kwagga Smith, but too often the collisions went against him and he drifted out of the contest.

7. Alex Mann – 6
Anonymous early and guilty of a lost lineout in the 33rd minute. But he steadied up, ended with over 20 tackles and took most of Wales’ lineout throws under immense pressure. Context matters here: Wales were defending for their lives from minute one, and Mann at least stayed present.

8. Aaron Wainwright – 7.5
Dogged from start to finish. Tried to live with the Boks’ power and pace and produced some excellent moments on the back foot. Forced off shortly after half-time but returned soon after, only to be pinged with a harsh yellow for a high shot on Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu. One of Wales’ rare bright sparks.

9. Kieran Hardy – 5
Not his best. Needed to be firmer for Wiese’s try, where South Africa marched over from the base of the scrum. Service was generally clean but lacked tempo, and he was replaced en masse at 49 minutes.

10. Dan Edwards – 5
Led Wales’ attacking shape but his defensive offering was poor, falling off contacts and struggling with line-speed reads. Tried to move the ball and play ambitiously, although the platform barely existed.

11. Rio Dyer – 7
Bit in on Ethan Hooker’s early try but recovered to produce some of Wales’ better moments. Did superbly to take Willemse man-and-ball to kill a try in the 36th minute and sparked Wales’ first meaningful threat soon after. Remained lively despite the scoreline.

12. Joe Hawkins – 5
A leaky afternoon defensively and part of a centre pairing that dropped more tackles combined than any other Welsh unit. Rarely got clean ball and spent most of the match arresting South African runners.

13. Joe Roberts – 5.5
Attacked with ambition even if the execution didn’t always match the intention. Was part of a midfield that missed too many tackles, but he at least asked questions with ball-in-hand and wasn’t afraid to play flat.

14. Ellis Mee – 5
Fantastic early take under pressure and a lovely touchfinder in the second minute, but followed it up with a series of fumbles under the high ball. Tried to stay involved, and his late chase nearly produced Wales’ first try in the 76th minute, but overall a mixed showing.

15. Blair Murray – 6
Game and willing but as a Test fullback you have to be tidier. Beaten too easily on a couple of broken-field entries. Did produce one strong gainline surge at 60 minutes, but the backfield organisation was shaky.

Replacements – 6
Unable to turn the tide of a hopeless endeavour, but nor did they stem the green waves crashing against the Welsh sea-wall. Morgan-Williams injected sharpness at nine, Sheedy added some go-forward ambition, and the replacement props actually fared better than the starters in lessening the Boks’ scrum ascendancy. Coleman barely lasted a few minutes, and Ben Thomas wasn’t on long enough to rate meaningfully.