Wales pushed the world champions to the limit but were ultimately undone by the power of South Africa’s bench, and eventually slipped to a 23-18 defeat at the Principality Stadium. Pivac was disappointed with the result but believes Wales would have learnt a lot from the experience.
The guys put in a heck of a shift,” he said. “If you look at the performance last week and coming up against South Africa in these conditions was always going to be a big ask and I thought the boys came up well.
“We could have won that match, it came down to a couple of moments. We gave away a silly penalty before half-time and then another to set up their try.
“Outside of that, we’ve a bit of work to do at the scrum, but we matched them across the park and led for periods. We could have won it at the end.
“It was a big step in the right direction, playing the world champions at their own game. I thought it was a big pat on the back for their effort.”
Wales also had a number of younger players with less than 20 caps on the field, while Ulster hooker Bradley Roberts and Scarlets prop WillGriff John made their debuts off the bench. And Pivac insists the likes of Rhys Carre, Ben Carter, and Taine Basham will be better for the experience.
“I think playing South Africa in those conditions, which is ideal for how they want to play the game, was going to be a testing time,” he said. “I thought we stood up to that test well.
“There were a couple of penalties that we gave away but if we can tidy that up, we’ll be competitive against the world champions in their own conditions. It was a big tick in the box as far as the coaching group was concerned but there’s always things we need to take away and work on.”
Pivac was also mightily impressed with the performance of Ellis Jenkins who put in a tremendous performance on his first Wales test since suffering a serious knee injury against the Springboks three years ago. He said: “I’m very, very pleased for Ellis. It was a big moment for him. He didn’t do a lot of training the week before, certainly no contact.
“To come out against a physical side after a rib injury, where he’s been in terms of the recovery from the original knee injury, I was really pleased with him. Big steal out early on near our line.
“He showed great timing and great skill over the ball. He’s going to get better and better for that performance. He’s an important player.
“With Alun injured, you need others to lead in the forwards. Justin Tipuric and Ken Owens would normally be there, but with those away, Ellis not only played well, but had a leadership role along with Adam Beard.”
