The Boks had a 20-minute period early in the second half as they asserted themselves, but even in the process of doing so it would be worrying that the momentum they built was eventually decimated by the hosts who finished stronger.
“They had a lot of experience off the bench and that came in the third quarter but we got through that, which is a good little step for us,” said Nenaper’s counterpart Ian Foster.
“They had a lot of moments where they were on top in that second half and instead of losing our way for a long time, we managed to find a way to come back.”
Nenapper was naturally happy that his team could fight back and move within six points. “I’m proud of how we got back. They took a 17-point lead, and we scored three tries in the second half to get back at it.”
However, the reality is summed up in the following comment by Nienapper. “We let it slip away for the first 20 minutes,” he said.