Loss of collective nous against unsubtle Springboks means injury-hit Welsh miss out on World Cup semi-finalSouth Africa bear their semi-final because,finally, the Welsh injuries counted. Not because of the lost skills, or more the lost collective nous. Wales paid the penalty for playing too much of the game in their own territory and for taking too long to work out Wayne Barnes,the referee.
Barnes is not a radical, he’s just accurate – and whether you’re playing under him its your responsibility to get to terms with him. By the time Wales had got their heads around the way the breakdown was being refereed, or they had conceded 12 points and,ultimately, that hurt them as much as the Fourie du Preez try less than five minutes from time.
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Source: theguardian.com