ROUT OF AFRICA!

Emerging Wales were submerged by a slicker South African outfit at Swansea yesterday.

The scoreline failed to reflect the tourists' supreme dominance, but they were hampered by an amazing penalty count of 31-7 in Wales' favour.

English referee Doug Chapman continued to find fault with almost everything the Springboks tried to do.

It was only in the dying minutes that justice was done and South Africa's superiority came to the surface when they scored two tries in the last three minutes. The generosity of the referee saw Wales actually bring the scores level halfway through the second period at 23-23.

Mr Chapman can certainly expect to be on the Welsh RU's Christmas card list!

It all started ominously for the Welsh second string as South Africa A opened up a 16-3 advantage after half an hour and they went into half time having extended it to 23-6.

Wales' line up had been disrupted before the kick- off when fullback Justin Thomas was drafted into the senior squad after Jonathan Davies pulled out with flu yesterday morning.

And with just 12 minutes of the match gone Emerging Wales vice skipper Richard Webster had to limp off with a knee injury.

But at the start of the second half the home side gradually pegged back the Springboks.

After just three minutes wing Garan Evans went over for a try from a tapped penalty and minutes later number eight Chris Wyatt went in at the left corner as the tourists' lead was slashed to three points.

And then remarkably Newport fly-half Sean Connor put over his third penalty to draw the scores level.

Justice started to be done as replacement scrum-half Werner Swanepoel started the South Africans' final reply.

An Emerging Wales team with nine full caps started to struggle with the South Africans' pace in midfield and the tourists could have scored four or five times in the final ten minutes.

But it was left to prop Willie Mayer to crash over a minute from time before left wing Marius Goosen went over in injury time to put the final nail in the Emerging side's coffin.

The result will do nothing for the senior Welsh side's confidence going into their match with South Africa at Cardiff Arms Park this afternoon.

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