Wales narrowly missed out on thier first Rugby World Cup final as South Africa's "man-of-the-match" Handre Pollard kicked a 76th-minute penalty to snatch victory for South Africa in a gripping semi-final, to set up a showdown against England.

The first half was a war of attrition, with the Springboks taking a 9-6 lead as they sought to overpower Wales up front and kick them into submission.

Wales have an innate ability to remain in the contest and often pip teams at the death to win, but South Africa were simply bigger blokes and they put Warren Gatland’s men under more pressure.

The game itself was a very tight affair, with neither side wanting to give an inch or back down.

The game could have swung either way, but it was South Africa that looked to be in control of the tempo and the over all feel of the match.

Everytime Wales looked to be gaining momentum, the Boks simply "out-muscled" them.

As a Welshman, I'm gutted to not have made the final, but in all honestly, SA were by far the more controlled and better side. It would have taken something special to have won it for Wales and although we have the players that can win matches, on individual performances, it just wasn't meant to be.

SA were too strong, too tight and too well disciplined.

Anyway, there are still 2 more games to play. Wales can still finish 3rd if they beat a formidable Nez Zealand. But the main focus will be on the final where we will see if the muscles from South Africa can stop the "red rose machine" from England.

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