CARDIFF, Wales — Warren Gatland knew his lines all too well. Even more accustomed to accounting for Welsh failures against the leading Southern Hemisphere teams than explaining victories over the top European sides, Gatland found himself explaining the down side of the equation once again at Millennium Stadium.

Back with Wales after a season-long sabbatical while coaching the British and Irish Lions all-star squad, Gatland saw his team go down, 24-15, to South Africa in a brutally physical contest on Saturday. Wales has been the European champion for the past two seasons, but this was its 17th consecutive loss to the former Tri-Nations powers — Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.

British teams falling to the rugby giants of the south is nothing new. It has been the consistent pattern for more than a century, broken for any length of time only by England’s formidable team of a decade ago. Wales has beaten South Africa only once in 27 meetings since 1906.

“South Africa started well, and the first 20 minutes was us getting used to playing at that tempo and physicality again,” said Gatland, a New Zealander. “That is the big difference. Our players coming out of club or regional rugby found it as different as chalk and cheese.”