Wales ended their first season under head coach Steve Tandy with a ninth defeat in 12 Tests, thrashed 43-0 by South Africa in Durban to conclude the inaugural Nations Championship campaign. The result raises fresh questions about the direction of Welsh rugby, coming after a promising opening win over Fiji was undone by heavy losses in Argentina and now South Africa, leaving Tandy facing scrutiny over what progress, if any, has actually been made.

Wales failed to score against South Africa for the second consecutive meeting, with the aggregate score across the two fixtures this season standing at 116-0. While Saturday's margin was 30 points and four tries fewer than the 73-0 defeat suffered in Cardiff in November 2025, former Wales hooker Scott Baldwin said he felt "flatter" after this loss, noting Wales had a near-full-strength squad available against a weaker South African selection than the one fielded at the Principality Stadium. Wales finish the season ranked 12th in the world, having also endured a gruelling schedule that saw them travel almost 20,000 miles across six flights for their final two fixtures.