The tourists had been on target for a first win over the Springboks on their own turf when leading 30-24 with a little over two minutes to play at the Mbombela Stadium.
But Williams’ illegal ‘no-arms’ tackle, as he prevented South Africa wing Cornal Hendricks going over in the corner, led referee Steve Walsh to award a penalty try.
The home side still needed the conversion but the penalty try meant Morne Steyn’s crucial kick was in front of the posts and a foregone conclusion.
Williams appeared close to tears as Steyn lined up the shot at goal and slumped to the turf in despair at the final whistle before apologising to his team-mates in the dressing room.
But Davies, who has played alongside Williams for the Scarlets, is confident the 23-year-old can come back a better player and insists no one in the Wales camp is blaming him for their defeat.
He said: “In the events before that the penalty try we made mistakes that gave them the field position. We’re not blaming anyone in particular, we’re a team and we didn’t perform for the full 80 minutes.
“I am sure Liam will come back from this. He has had an outstanding season and he has been one of the form players in Wales.
“He puts a lot of pressure on his performance and he probably feels that he didn’t quite hit the level he wanted to. But no blame is being put on him. We rallied around him and he’s part of the team. At the end of the day, the squad of 23 wasn’t good enough to get the win.”
Article source: http://www.thedrum.com/news/2014/01/28/canterbury-new-zealand-announced-irish-rugby-football-union-kit-sponsor-until-2020
Wales" Jonathan Davies backs Liam Williams to recover from mistake
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