Wales close first Tandy season with 43-0 loss in Durban

Wales finished their first season under head coach Steve Tandy with a 43-0 defeat to South Africa in Durban, a ninth loss in 12 Tests since he took charge.

The match was Wales' second fixture in the new Nations Championship, following a loss in Argentina. The campaign had opened with a 39-21 win over Fiji in Cardiff, but any sense of progress has since been eroded by two heavy away defeats.

What happened in Durban

South Africa, the top-ranked side in the world, led comfortably throughout against opponents ranked 11 places below them. Wales defended with spirit for long spells, but the Springboks' finishing, rather than any shortage of chances, kept the margin from growing further in humid conditions at Kings Park.

The tourists arrived in South Africa after a schedule that took them roughly 20,000 miles across six flights for two matches. Wales have now failed to score in back-to-back meetings with South Africa.

• South Africa beat Wales 43-0 in Durban in the Nations Championship
• It was Wales' ninth defeat in 12 Tests under Steve Tandy
• Wales also lost their previous pool match, in Argentina
• The two most recent meetings with South Africa ended 73-0 and 43-0
• South Africa top the world rankings; Wales are 11 places lower

Where Wales stand

The 43-0 scoreline was at least an improvement on the 73-0 loss to the same opponents in Cardiff in November 2025, with 30 fewer points and four fewer tries conceded. But the aggregate across the two fixtures now stands at 116-0 over 160 minutes. Former Wales hooker Scott Baldwin told BBC Radio Wales he felt flatter after this display than after the Cardiff defeat, pointing to the opportunities South Africa created and did not convert.

Tandy's side will now regroup before their next international window, with the coaching staff facing questions over a season that produced one win from 12 Tests. The wider challenge is a competitive one: Wales have won a Test in South Africa before, in Bloemfontein in 2022, but that result looked a distant reference point during Saturday's one-sided contest.