Scott Gibbs was the first player down the tunnel at the end of this breathtaking match. He never looked back as Nick Mallett, the Springboks' coach, put a consoling arm around Gibbs's inconsolable team-mates while the chants "Wales, Wales" reverberated around Wembley Stadium.
Gibbs could not wait for the desolate silence of the dressingroom. Because his team had believed that not only could they stand toe-to-toe with the world champions, they could have beaten them. But on a day when England's heavyweights had knocked the middleweight Dutch around the ring, heroic Wales had been floored in the final round.
Most critics had dreaded another thumping for Wales. Instead, the heavy tanks of South Africa, who had arrived in Britain intent on rolling over the four nations on successive Saturdays, needed to be extra flame-resistant. They were met by a Dragon breathing fire again.
Even the Welsh Rugby Union president, Sir Tasker Watkins, talked in doom-laden terms in the match programme of "staring into an abyss" when he had witnessed the biggest defeat in history of a major rugby nation five months ago. But only three players survived from that under-strength side, and Gibbs, the captain, Robert Howley, Scott Quinnell and Neil Jenkins have been victorious with the Lions in South Africa. The backbone of this Wales team are proud men, and as Howley said: "We were not prepared to be the whipping boys any longer."
And so as the game approached the end of 80 minutes, the teams were locked at 20-20 and Wales seemed at least assured of a "winning draw" to match England's 26-26 result at Twickenham last December which had deprived the All Blacks of a 100 per cent record for 1997. The Springboks then found the reserves that distinguish good sides from great ones.
From a line-out close to the Welsh 22, Joost Van der Westhuizen attacked after the ensuing maul. The scrum-half's pass was knocked into the air by Johan Erasmus and Andre Venter, Erasmus's back-row colleague, plunged over. South Africa were off the ropes, and, six minutes into stoppage time, Franco Smith's third penalty ensured a 15th successive Test win.
The extra minutes had been added on by the Australian referee, Stuart Dickinson, because of injuries and a streaker, who dodged security men for what seemed like an age 15 minutes from time, with Wales attacking and 20-17 ahead.
Welsh concentration was disturbed and the South Africans came storming back. Wave after wave of attacks crashed against the red defensive wall, until Wales were at last penalised for offside and Smith kicked an equalising penalty.
Wales's fate was settled, though, in a calamitous two-minute period late in the first half. After 33 minutes the Springboks were, astonishingly, 14-0 adrift. Gareth Thomas's well-taken try after eight minutes and, especially, the three penalties of Jenkins brought back memories of those Lions' Test victories.
But when Howley attempted to run a penalty from close to his line, Wales lost the ball and conceded a scrum. Then, when their front row stood up, they conceded a harsh penalty try. From the restart, Pieter Rossouw counterattacked, for once the tackle of Jenkins was mistimed and Van der Westhuizen was handed a gift try.
He broke Welsh hearts, but Henry's plan to pick a side which could match the Springboks physically - no room nowadays for the mercurial but frail talents of Arwel Thomas - and play bold, ball-in-hand rugby, had shaken the Springboks. Scotland could feel the backlash this Saturday.
Wales: Howarth; Thomas, Taylor, Gibbs, James; N Jenkins, Howley; Lewis (Morris, 48 mins), Humphreys, Anthony (Evans, 66 mins), C Quinnell, Wyatt, Charvis, Williams, S Quinnell.
South Africa: Snyman, Smith, Rossouw; Honiball, Van der Westhuizen; Kempson, Dalton, Garvey (Le Roux, 46 mins), Otto, Andrews (Skinstad, 46), Erasmus, Venter, Teichmann.
Referee: S Dickinson (Aus).
