Wales' first win over the Springboks on South African soil came at a cost and the medical team will now be working overtime to assess the damage ahead of the deciding Test match in Cape Town.
Wayne Pivac will likely have to ponder at least one or two changes to his side after they drew level in the series, this time coming out on the right side of another dramatic finale in Bloemfontein. But injuries began to mount.
There may well have to be a change involving the skipper, Dan Biggar, and Wales' depth at tight-head is going to be tested like never before. The 13-12 victory may have been one for the purists but there are going to be a lot of sore bodies flying to the Mother City.
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The main concern will be over captain Biggar. He has been at his unrelenting best in this series and can be proud of the way he has led his country, but there are significant doubts over his fitness for the decider. Such is his importance to the side, he was not replaced in the opener in Pretoria.
But he was forced off in the 50th minute of the match on Saturday night with a right shoulder problem. In truth, he may have stayed on longer than he should have as he convinced the medics to give him another chance to play it off. But in that time he missed a shot at goal and his arm hung in an unnatural position, as if he was in real discomfort.
After the match, he confirmed: "Yeah shoulder, a bit of a squashed AC joint. I took a bit of an early bang on it, and then there was an early contact in the second half where I’ve just caught at the bottom of a ruck, and was sort of in a bit of pain with it.
"Hopefully it’s just a bang and nothing more and it’ll sort of ease up in the next couple of days and I’ll be available for selection next Saturday.
"I’ll try my best to get fit. A couple more Castle Lights and I may be fit for Saturday, so we’ll see how many of them work. Obviously I’ll be desperate to be involved next Saturday, and we’ll just see."
Biggar strikes a positive tone but he was unable to shake hands with his right hand after the match and had to use his left. It didn't look great but time will tell. If he is forced out of the match, Gareth Anscombe, Saturday's match-winner, will come into the starting side and Rhys Patchell, yet to see any action on this tour, will likely be on the bench.
The absence of Biggar also poses questions over the captaincy. It looks in all likelihood that Adam Beard, a man who has been tipped for the role post-2023 Rugby World Cup, will be given the armband. The lock would become the 141st man to skipper his country from the start of the Test match, though he did seem to take over the role when Biggar was off the field in Bloemfontein.
That being said, Will Rowlands looked uncomfortable when he left the field on Saturday. This could have just been general wear and tear that players experience when going toe to toe with the Springboks. But if Pivac is inclined to freshen up the lock department by throwing Alun Wyn Jones into the mix then it would be a huge call to do that and not give him the captaincy.
Things appeared to be even bleaker for Dillon Lewis, who was spotted walking around after the match with his left arm in a sling. A scrum in the 65th minute collapsed on top of him, leaving him strewn on the turf. He looked in a fair amount of pain as he walked to the sideline, holding his injured limb across his chest.
His participation in the final game is doubtful. It will be interesting to see what Pivac decides to do if Lewis can't make the start line. He was comfortable placing faith in the inexperienced Sam Wainwright to come off the bench in Bloemfontein but starting is a whole different ball game, particularly as South Africa look set to redeploy a first-choice pack.
Wales were quick to dismiss the suggestion of Wyn Jones covering tight-head last week but they must surely now be considering starting the loose-head in the No.3 shirt, a position that he covered during the 2019 Rugby World Cup. That call will be fascinating if Wales go down to their fourth choice, with Tomas Francis and Leon Brown at home and Lewis seemingly also injured.
Alex Cuthbert is another who left the field injured. He had what has been described as an arm injury. The winger also tried to carry on through the pain, seeing his first action on this tour. But he shook his head in the direction of the bench in the 16th minute and Josh Adams was sent on.
It's a tough one to take for the speedster, whose Test career has been resurrected under Pivac. But if the injury rules him out of the final Test, as seems likely, then Adams will be the starter.
The players will be assessed across Sunday and Monday as the squad travels to Cape Town and the severity of injuries will become apparent. But, even if there is some good news, it looks as though Pivac is going to have one or two decisions to make.
Meanwhile, the Springboks will likely revamp their side again for the final Test, recalling the bulk of the side that were rested in Bloemfontein as head coach Jacques Nienaber took a closer look at his wider squad. They'll be fresh for the decider, meaning Wales will face a huge challenge if they are to pull off a series victory next weekend.
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