Wales 16 South Africa 17: Proud Gatland looks to Wales to take close defeat ‘on the chin’

Gatland’s men went within a whisker of claiming their greatest World Cup victory, leading by six points 15 minutes from time.

But Springboks substitute Francois Hougaard broke their hearts with a try that enabled the reigning world champions to scrape home.

Wales have little time to lick their wounds, facing a crunch Pool D game against Samoa in Hamilton next Sunday that will probably make or break their World Cup campaign.

They showed enough quality, composure and commitment in defeat, though, to suggest the quarter-finals remain a clear and achievable minimum target.

“For 70 minutes of that game we took it to South Africa,” said Gatland, who saw his team move within sight of a famous win when No 8 Toby Faletau scored a second-half try that James Hook converted. “We are proud of the performance, and it is about getting back on the horse and thinking about Samoa next week.

“Good sides take disappointment on the chin and front up the following week. That is what we have got to do now.

“I couldn’t be more proud of the players’ effort in terms of what they delivered out there.

“To get 60 per cent of territory and possession against South Africa is a massive step of where we have come as a team, but at the end of the day we weren’t quite clinical enough.”

No one epitomised the magnitude of Wales’ effort more than captain Sam Warburton, who became the youngest captain in Rugby World Cup history and then delivered a world-class performance, making an astounding 20 tackles.

Gatland added: “A lot of people in the southern hemisphere don’t know a lot about Sam. But if you were picking a Lions team now, he would be right up there in contention. He played against a world-class openside (in South Africa’s Heinrich Brussow) and it was a very good battle.”

Wales must effectively beat Samoa, Namibia and Fiji to guarantee a last-eight spot, but on this latest evidence that should prove well within their grasp.

Hook believes he landed the penalty that could have made the difference between an agonising defeat for Wales and victory.

The Wales full-back’s 14th-minute penalty strike sailed high above the posts and looked to have gone over, but assistant referees Vinny Munro and George Clancy kept their flags down.

Match referee Wayne Barnes did not have jurisdiction to refer it to television match official Matt Goddard for a replay verdict, and South Africa escaped.

“I felt it went over,” said Hook, who missed a difficult late penalty chance in a swirling wind at Wellington Regional Stadium as reigning champions South Africa held on.

“But it is not something I am going to debate or dwell on. It is one of those things.

“It wasn’t given and we lost by a point, simple as that. It has gone now.”