Wales captain Biggar desperate to be part of series decider against Boks

Wales captain Dan Biggar says he's desperate to be part of the series decider against the Springboks at Cape Town Stadium on Saturday.

Biggar, who injured his shoulder and had to be replaced by Gareth Anscombe in the 51st minute of his team's 13-12 win in the second Test in Bloemfontein, is in a race against time to regain full fitness for the series climax.

“I’m all right. I’m a bit sore. I'll see how it holds up tomorrow. I'll try my best to get fit.

“I’m desperate to be involved next Saturday. My shoulder took a bit of a bang and I took another hit early in the second half. Hopefully it is just a bang, nothing more,” said Biggar, clutching a beer as he addressed the media.

He and his team had reason to celebrate. Wales showed great fortitude to fight back in the last quarter and overturn a 12-3 deficit to record a maiden win over the Springboks on SA soil.

They set up the win through a resolute defence that enabled them to stay in the fight before a Josh Adams try and resultant touchline conversion by Anscombe in the 78th minute got them the result.

Anscombe, whose career has at times had to yield to knee injuries, showed nerves of steel to bang over the conversion from the left touchline.

“Gareth showed character with that kick,” Biggar said. “It was one of those kicks, the minute it left his boot you knew it looked good.

“Huge bottle from him, huge effort. I'm really pleased for him. He obviously had a really difficult few years being out injured. It was a massive effort.”

Biggar said he was really proud of his squad, especially the contribution made by their bench.

“It is a really happy dressing room. Pro sport can be so cut-throat. When you lose you tend to take those defeats and it lasts for months and months and some times you get this and it is over before you blink.

“We've earned the right to enjoy this victory. There have been some very good Welsh teams that have come here and were sent packing. Everyone deserves a huge pat on the back. If we can finish off with a series win even better.”

Coach Wayne Pivac said his team is well aware of the significance of the victory from a historical perspective but had other reasons to rejoice.

“We are proud. Probably not so much because of the history but because the players put in such a huge shift last week,” the coach said.

The win would have come as huge relief for Pivac who copped a lot of criticism after a disappointing Six Nations campaign that ended in defeat against Italy. Not that the Kiwi coach sought accolades or redemption.

“It is not about individuals. It is not that I feel I achieved more than anyone else in the group. These boys play the game, we prepare them.

“You have to go through some dark times. I'm just happy to be part of a group that has come together very, very well. We would like to think we can build on this performance.

“We went through the pain of losing a game in the last quarter and now we won one in the last quarter. That was very special for us. The game slipped away at 12-3 but we clawed it back and that was very pleasing.”

Apart from winning against the hosts for the first time in SA, Wales' win knocked the Springboks off the top of the world rankings. The Boks had held the position since 2019 but wins by Ireland, England and France in New Zealand, Australia and Japan respectively have altered the world order.