So then Wales fans that's it I'm afraid, and no, it wasn't all a horrible dream.

Don't have nightmares, and do sleep well.

Wales coach Warren Gatland speaking to Sky Sports: "I don't think the strategy [for the drop-goal attempts] was right, Mike Phillips made a break and for us to go side to side they were coping with that. We needed to get behind them. What we did there was never going to be effective from that far out. He missed the first one from 40 metres and the second one was a bit further.

"We said we were poor in the first half last week and got caught. Our line speed improved a lot. There was a big improvement on last week. We put South Africa under a lot of pressure and scored some good tries. I'm proud of the effort and performance but gutted about the result."

Wales coach Warren Gatland speaking to Sky Sports: "It was probably [the toughest defeat] of my whole coaching career. It's tough. We played pretty well in the first half and put ourselves under pressure with the two yellow cards but gave ourselves the opportunity.

"We're gutted and we didn't deserve that final result. I thought the referee had a good game and did a good job. In the last 10 minutes they were throwing everything at us and we let Hendricks go through and the penalty try was unfortunate because we got narrow and allowed the winger to get outside us. They're critical moments when you have to be 100% accurate and in one or two moments we weren't quite good enough."

So the rugby world has not turned on its head after all.

New Zealand beat England, South Africa beat Wales and the sun will still rise in the east tomorrow.

Jonathan Davies
Former Wales fly-half on Twitter

"Right call. Penalty try."

Corgi:, external If that was a penalty try, then from now on every sideline tackle near the try line with a hint of shoulder is one too.

Conrad Kemp:, external Steve Walsh made the only call he could. No interpretation was needed. An illegal act prevented a certain try. Sorry Wales.

Gurrathanoo:, external Go on Boks! Hard luck Wales. It sounded like an epic Test Match on BBC Wales commentary. Boks need to blood more youngsters now.

A quick reminder that Wales led 17-0 in the first half and 30-17 with less than 15 minutes to play, and still lost.

South Africa led for two minutes of that match, but it was the two minutes that counted.

Wales centre Scott Williams on Twitter:, external "I feel for the boys. They didn't deserve that! There were some outstanding performances after a long season."

Image source, Getty Images

How do you feel after that if you're a Wales player?

Dominant at the start, then hauled in by two tries within a minute when you're down to 13 men, but you refuse to buckle.

Out you come breathing fire for the second half, stretch clear once again, only to be overhauled at the death.

They had that game won twice.

Brian Moore
Former Harlequins and England hooker on Twitter

"Wales - awful way to lose the game; great Test match, but if you're brutally honest Wales should have closed it out."

Martyn Williams
Former Wales captain on BBC Radio Wales

"I've never seen a game swing in so many ways. Even when they scored that try to get within one we still had to just keep our discipline and see it out.

"But of all the ways to lose a game, if Liam hadn't tackled him in the corner it would have been a kick from there.

"Taking all parochialism and bias out of it, a penalty there for no arms is a penalty try. That's the greatest Welsh performance I've ever seen but we are cursed."

Sings: "If you tolerate this, your children will be next..."

Gutting for Wales, but a head-high, no arms tackle is not just illegal but also dangerous. In years gone by Liam Williams would have probably got away with his hit on Cornal Henricks by the corner flag, but with the TMO and referral system it was pretty clear what happened.

Former South Africa and Leicester Tigers fly-half Derick Hougaard on BBC Radio Wales: "At one stage you thought Wales couldn't lose this game. SA came back but what a call it was by the TMO to give it. I thought it was a penalty at best. The try gave Steyn the kick under the posts.

"To put up this effort was unbelievable and it almost feels like they were robbed. There are a lot of relieved Springboks rather than ecstatic springboks at this moment."

Manic Street Preachers: , externalMost pathetic decision I have ever seen in all my rugby life-dreadful shocking I give up-xx

What a match, but the cold hard truth is that Wales have once again fallen short against South Africa.

Heroic? Brave? Beaten.

Wales' record against South Africa now reads won one, drawn one, lost 27.

Mike Phillips makes a 10m break, still Wales hammer away, they're over the 10m line, 17th phase...

The ball's back to Dan Biggar and he drops for glory...

...but it's a desperately poor connection, the ball dribbles over the dead ball line and South Africa have escaped to victory.

A series of digs form Wales in midfield, can they get in drop-goal range?

They're going nowhere though...

Dan Biggar tries his luck with a drop-goal but it's a long way out and it falls short. One final line-out...

Former South Africa and Leicester Tigers fly-half Derick Hougaard on BBC Radio Wales: "There was a lot of shoulder in there. It was definitely a shoulder charge. What a call by the TMO."

The conversion is under the sticks, this is going to be the game isn't it?

Morne Steyn converts and Wales have 90 seconds to save themselves.