The visitors had the majority of possession but went 5-0 down through a try from the South African winger Ronwin Kelly. The Welsh hooker Jenny Davies recorded her first international try before the break to even the score at half time.
Wales added a penalty from the boot of winger Stacey Saunders after the break and could have added further points but a couple of tries were disallowed.
The Welsh squad fly to Pretoria on Sunday where the two sides meet in the second test at the Loftus Stadium on Saturday.
