Wales had sailed through the opening round, winning all three of their matches, but South Africa proved too much for them, as they were never really in contention.
Goalkeeper Lenize Potgieter was on song, particularly in the first quarter, when she succeeded with every attempt at goal. At the end of the first quarter, the Proteas were 15-10 ahead.
By halftime, South Africa had stretched their lead to the critical margin of 10 goals, with the score on 31-21.
Coach Norma Plummer appeared to have had stern words with the players during the break, because they stormed back in the third quarter, outscoring Wales by 24 goals to eight. It was probably their best quarter of the tournament so far, with South Africa achieving five intercepts and five turnovers.
