They say that what you do when nobody is watching is what really separates the good from the great. It was interesting, then, to see how a handful of Wales’ experienced campaigners behaved during a brutal few hours at the Cape Town Stadium.
Wales landed in the Mother City battered and bruised. Head coach Wayne Pivac had asked virtually the same 15 players to back up three weeks in a row against the most physical side in world rugby, with two of the games at altitude.
You could argue that not even the World Cup or Six Nations is this physically demanding. Rarely are players asked to compete against such high quality opposition so many times in 14 days.
Get the latest Welsh news and interviews sent straight to your inbox for free by signing up to our newsletter. It took its toll with Gareth Anscombe the first to withdraw before the team even arrived at the stadium.