South Africa head coach Rassie Erasmus said the seven-try 43-0 Nations Championship third-round victory over Wales in Durban on Saturday was more difficult than it may have looked on the surface.
"We had to grind, it was 14-0 for nearly 30 minutes. There was concern that we struggled again in the second quarter, but this time we managed to squeeze through and were able to keep the pressure on," he told reporters.
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"It was really slippery, so it was going to be tough to play an expansive, pretty game of rugby. We are satisfied with 43 points and keeping them to zero.
"We defended a lot better than last week, we worked really hard on that," said Erasmus, referring to four tries conceded in a win over Scotland in Pretoria.
"So we have 15 points and we are on top of the table. Now we will park the Nations Championship for a while," added the coach.
Rugby World Cup title-holders South Africa and arch rivals New Zealand have 15 points each. The Springboks occupy first place through a superior points difference.
Wales coach Steve Tandy praised his team for a top-class effort, saying it was a further step in their development.
"Obviously we are bitterly disappointed in the scoreline, but I can only commend the team for the effort against the world champions," he said.
"We stayed in the fight for a long time, but two blows (conceding tries), the first right on half-time and then just after (the break), were a pity.
"We were up against the best team in the world and the most physical, but it is an experience you have to go through and learnt from it."
While Wales now take a break until the Nations Championship resumes in November, South Africa travel to Argentina for a one-off Test on August 8.
They then face New Zealand four times on consecutive Saturdays from August 22 -- twice in Johannesburg, once in Cape Town and once in the United States.
