It was the heaviest defeat Wales have ever suffered at home and their worst against the Springboks anywhere, shorn as they were of so many of their first- and second-choice players. South Africa's strength in depth remains a sight to behold.

For Steve Tandy’s young side, there was never even the illusion of comfort. By half-time the visitors led 28–0, their physicality so overwhelming that Wales’ rare forays over halfway felt like small rebellions rather than genuine threats. Gerhard Steenekamp powered over from close range for the opener, followed by Ethan Hooker slicing through weak tackling for the second. Jasper Wiese added a third from a dominant scrum, and just before half-time, Morne van den Berg finished off a break sparked by Andre Esterhuizen for the fourth.

Quilter Player of the Match Esterhuizen, all brute force and precision, was the game’s central figure: scattering red jerseys and orchestrating the relentless Boks surge.

The gulf widened swiftly after the break. Within minutes, the Springboks added a fifth try through prop Gerhardus Louw after another powerful Esterhuizen carry. Wales’ hopes of clawing back any kind of foothold evaporated when number eight Aaron Wainwright, returning from an early blood injury, was sin-binned for contact on Boks fly-half Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu. It was the prelude to a second-half collapse that felt both shocking and inevitable.

Feinberg-Mngomezulu then produced a dazzling solo effort, stepping past loosehead Gareth Thomas and accelerating clean through to score under the posts. Canan Moodie added two more, his second coming after a double kick-and-chase from a loose Welsh pass. Each Springbok break seemed to end in points; each Welsh attack in turnover or frustration.

Tandy's side, to their credit, continued to search for a way onto the scoreboard. Fullback Blair Murray danced through space, centre Joe Hawkins almost conjured a try from a loose ball, and wing Ellis Mee chased a hack ahead that bounced cruelly beyond the dead-ball line. But even when five metres out, Wales were repelled – Esterhuizen again over the ball, as committed at 54–0 ahead as at 0–0.

The Springboks, meanwhile, emptied their bench in one extraordinary move (the famed and feared 'Bomb Squad' writ large). It made little difference to the tone. Ruan Nortje rumbled over, Feinberg-Mngomezulu secured a second, and Eben Etzebeth stretched out for the eleventh try before being shown a straight red for an eye-gouge on Alex Mann.

Wales’ best chance to score came late on against 14 men, but even then the ball bounced away from desperate hands. Reinach ended the contest by hoofing the ball into the stands – a gesture of mercy as much as a full stop.

For Wales, this was a defeat that will linger. South Africa have beaten almost everyone in front of them this year, their depth and precision unmatched, and Rassie Erasmus’ fingerprints are visible on every brutal detail. But that is little comfort for a Welsh side still searching for foundation stones. Confidence, structure, discipline – all dissolved under the pressure of a side operating on a different plane.

Record margins fell, records of the unwelcome variety. Wales had not conceded this many points at home; they had not looked so outgunned for so long. A proud rugby nation finds itself facing yet another hard reset, and the Quilter Nations Series has rarely felt so unforgiving this year.

For South Africa, this was a statement. For Wales, it was a sobering reminder of the levels required - with or without their first-choice side. The scoreboard was merciless; the path back from it will require resilience in greater measure still, while the Guinness Men's Six Nations will be here before we know it.

Hopefully, with a full complement of players at his disposal, Tandy will by then be able to build on the positives that were intermittently on display during this Quilter Nations Series.

Quilter Player of the Match: Andre Esterhuizen (RSA)

"It was a very tough game to end the tour on. It's been five long weeks. I'm very happy with this win. I'm just happy to be standing here and having been part of this tour. We've worked really hard for it and I'm happy we got the reward.

"I think whatever team they pick any week, every guy steps up, everyone knows their role. Everyone in the group is so cohesive that it doesn't matter who's playing. Everyone trusts each other...

"When you come to Wales you can always expect a team that never gives up. It's a very tough nation to play against. Physically they're always up for it. So we knew we had to dig deep for this one and stick to the processes and not let the game get loose."

📊 Standout stats

Successful tackles: Alex Mann (WAL), 23

Defenders beaten: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (RSA), 5

Metres carried: Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 88

Carries: Jasper Wiese (RSA), 13

Turnovers won: Alex Mann, Andre Esterhuizen (RSA), both 2