In a display of absolute rugby supremacy, South Africa’s Springboks delivered a crushing 73-0 victory over Wales at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium, marking the most devastating home defeat in Welsh rugby history. The November 29, 2025 match saw the world champions execute a flawless performance with 11 tries against a hapless Welsh side that failed to register a single point.
Fly-half Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu emerged as the architect of destruction, accumulating 28 points through his clinical execution. The scoring onslaught began with prop Gerhard Steenekamp’s early try and continued unabated with contributions from Wilco Louw, Ethan Hooker, Canan Moodie, Jasper Wiese, Morne van den Berg, Andre Esterhuizen, and Ruan Nortje. Replacement lock Eben Etzebeth added to the tally before receiving a late red card for foul play against Welsh flanker Alex Mann.
The match statistics painted a grim picture for Wales, who suffered their second-worst defeat ever, surpassed only by a 96-13 loss to these same opponents in Pretoria in 1998. This marked the first time since 1967 that Wales failed to score at home, with the attendance of 50,112 representing the lowest for a Springboks encounter in Cardiff in 15 meetings.
The contest occurred outside World Rugby’s international window, resulting in both sides missing key players. Wales lacked 13 England and France-based professionals, while South Africa operated without stars like Malcolm Marx and Cheslin Kolbe. Despite these absences, the Springboks’ bench alone boasted 374 caps—more than Wales’ entire 23-man squad combined.
The match’s scheduling, originally planned for 2020 before COVID-19 postponement, raised questions about its financial viability given the sparse attendance and clash with United Rugby Championship fixtures. For new Welsh head coach Steve Tandy, the defeat caps a disappointing autumn series that included losses to Argentina and New Zealand, with only a narrow victory against Japan providing minimal consolation ahead of the 2026 Six Nations campaign.