“That idiot!”
Ryle Nugent may have summed it up best, over on Premier Sports, as a pitch invader chose the worst possible moment to try make himself famous.
With Wales level with the world champion Springboks at the Principality Stadium, in Cardiff, scrumhalf Tomos Williams spread the ball out to the left wing.
He found Dan Biggar and, a couple of passes later, fullback Johnny McNicholl had Liam Williams flying up the left wing. One crisp pass to Williams, and clear grass to charge into, and it would have been a certain Welsh try.
Two significant moments changed all that, and with it, the match. First up, the Boks’ defence was scrambling well and forcing the issue with McNichool.
Second, some lad decided it was the perfect opportunity to storm out onto the pitch. On he rumbled, only to be rugby tackled by a security guard – RIGHT IN FRONT OF WHERE WILLIAMS WAS RUNNING.
https://twitter.com/bigboutya1/status/1457061201037479943
Liam Williams was left fuming by the pitch invader
Williams was forced to check his run inside, and that gave the Springboks a chance to recover. The McNicholl pass, too, had not been 100%, which also slowed his momentum slightly.
Williams was forced out over the touchline and turned in huge frustration to gesticulate towards the pitch invader.
Absolute madness. Probably the most unpopular man in Wales right now#WALvRSA pic.twitter.com/zfLXuV3tZa
— EK Rugby Analysis (@ek_rugby) November 6, 2021
To temper the feelings of anguish amongst the Welsh fans, Dan Biggar was able to kick Wales 18-15 in front as they had a penalty advantage in their favour. A converted try, though, would have put them 22-15 ahead, going into the closing stages.
As if to rub salt in the wounds, though, South Africa were buoyed by getting off the hook.
They had a try ruled out by the Television Match Official but would not be denied. They kept knocking at the door and were rewarded with a try from Malcolm Marx that put them 20-18 ahead.
The conversion was missed so Wales still had a chance to win, if they could fashion one more scoring chance. They could not, and a late South Africa penalty sealed a 23-18 victory for the Boks.
