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Cardiff - South Africa captain John Smit admitted his team were "ordinary" despite clinching a 34-31 victory over Wales at Cardiff's Millennium Stadium.
The world champions overturned an early 13-point deficit to lead 31-19 after an hour Saturday, but were forced to survive a late comeback by a spirited Wales team.
Odwa Ndungane, Dewald Potgieter and Juan de Jongh all went over either side of half-time while fly-half Ruan Pienaar kicked 19 points as South Africa won their opening game of the international season.
However, Smit insists his team must make major improvements if they are to get the better of France in Cape Town next week.
Smit said: "We were very ordinary in this game but thankfully we did enough to take the points home.
"This was our first game up and traditionally we are not the best of starters to the season.
"We are always pretty scratchy in the first game so it was the result, rather than the performance, that counted for us. My job now is to make sure we get better and better with every game."
South Africa featured eight players involved in the Super 14 final a week earlier but also included four European-based internationals.
Coach Pieter de Villiers said, "Any coach would always want more time with his players to prepare for a Test match but we knew what we had, we put our priorities in order and I thought we did a good job."
South Africa started in Cardiff with three players making their Test debuts in Gio Aplon, Francois Louw and try-scorer de Jongh while two more won their first cap off the bench, Alistair Hargreaves and Bjorn Basson.
De Villiers added, "We were very pleased how all of those went. We don't simply give out the colours, they all earned their stripes by playing well throughout the Super 14 season. This was a just reward for them and we are in a very favourable position to have that sort of strength in depth for the future."
South Africa, as Smit said, were made to look ordinary for periods of the game by a gutsy Wales team also missing several key players.
British Lions centre James Hook intercepted Smit's pass to hand Wales a 16-3 lead in the 21st minute, following kicks by fly-half Stephen Jones.
But South Africa pressure forced Wales into a series of mistakes and penalties that Pienaar converted before Ndungane scored before half-time.
Potgieter scored his first Test try at a crucial time just after the break following a powerful burst by Man of the Match Danie Rossouw, who Smit believes, will be pushing Bakkies Botha all the way for selection.
Smit said, "Danie is in the form of his life right now. For how many years have we thought the choice for the number four jersey was a fait accompli. But I don't think that is the case anymore.
"The most pleasing thing from this game was the way the new guys performed after such a short preparation period and after falling behind early on.
"I thought all the new guys coming in were outstanding - not only did they fit in, but they will provide real competition for places."
Wales coach Warren Gatland said: "We are very frustrated because that was an opportunity to claim a big win and we didn't take it.
"But the comeback was a real positive and we showed real character in the final 15 minutes to give us a chance at winning the game."
Stormers centre De Jongh went over before Pienaar capped the victory with a late penalty to send South Africa into their Test against Six Nations champions France in Cape Town on June 12 on a winning note.
De Villiers said, "We saw how good France were in the Six Nations. But the funny thing with France is that on their day, they can take you to the cleaners and on another day they don't turn up. I hope we get the second one."
Wales head to New Zealand this week for two Tests against the All Blacks, but will be without James Hook who will undergo surgery to resolve a long-standing shoulder problem.
