Wales challenge Boks on the Highveld

Saturday will see a celebration of a rivalry which dates back to 1906 when the Springboks host The Welsh in the first of a three-match series. 

Wales will challenge the World Champions first on the highveld with games in Pretoria and Bloemfontein before making their way to Cape Town for the third and final scrap. 

It has been eight years since the Welsh shed skin on the fields of South Africa. In 2014, Warren Gatland’s troops arrived for a two-match tour against Heyneke Meyer’s Bok charges, the first match taking place at Kings Park in Durban and being won convincingly by the home side, 36-16. In the second Test, the teams clashed at Nelspruit – a much closer contest ensuing with the Boks emerging victorious by just 1 point, 31-30. 

More recently, the teams met at the Millenium Stadium in Cardiff last year November for the Autumn Internationals: 

Ahead of the game, Springbok boss Jacques Nienaber said: 

“We have a talented group of players, and we believe the matchday squad we selected ticks the boxes in terms of what we would like to achieve in the opening Test against Wales. 

“We have the added advantage of having several players that are quite versatile, so a guy like Damian Willemse for example can cover flyhalf and centre in addition to fullback, while Kwagga covers each of the loose forward positions and can even slot in at wing with his Blitzbok experience. 

“Franco also gives us options at loose forward and lock, so we look forward to seeing what this team can produce on Saturday.” 

Nienaber also named too potential debutants on the bench in lock Salmaan Moerat and loose-forward Elrigh Louw. Both players participated in the recent URC final in Cape Town between the Stormers and Bulls. 

“We have a fantastic crop of young players who have really been working hard at training and putting up their hands, and it is pleasing for us as coaches to give Salmaan and Elrigh this opportunity,” Nienaber continued. 

“Salmaan was with us on our tour to the UK last season, and despite being so young he brings a different sense of experience as a former Junior Springbok and SA Schools captain, while Elrigh also featured in a World Rugby U20 Championship and has been playing senior provincial rugby for a while. 

“We have a plan for the season in terms of giving some of the young players a chance to show what they can do at international level, while at the same time taking stock of the seasoned campaigners and where they are in terms of their rugby. 

“Unfortunately, with such a big squad there will always be a few unlucky players, but it is a fine balancing act to ensure we win Tests, build squad depth, and transform as a team in the way we play. 

“We have a plan for the season in terms of giving some of the young players a chance to show what they can do at international level, while at the same time taking stock of the seasoned campaigners and where they are in terms of their rugby. 

“This is a long season with the Castle Lager Incoming Series, the Castle Lager Rugby Championship, the year-end tour where we are also hoping to play a few SA ‘A’ games, while we are also looking further ahead to next year’s Rugby World Cup. 

“That said, we are looking forward to seeing what Salmaan and Elrigh have to offer if they get the opportunity to take the field.” 

Regarding the Boks’ opposition this weekend, Nienaber said: 

“Wales have been training together for a few weeks now and we have no doubt that they will give everything against us on Saturday,” said Nienaber. 

“They are an experienced squad, and they have top class players in their ranks – some of which represented the British &Irish Lions last year – so we are expecting a hard grind of a Test. 

“They have physical forwards and backs that spark something from nothing, so we need to deliver a quality performance in order to get our season off to a strong start.” 

In the Wales camp, George North and Dan Lydiate return to the fold in the starting XV while tighthead Tomos Francis takes a spot on the bench. 

Wayne Pivac has named a side which sees eight changes from Wales’ last outing against the Italians – a disastrous encounter for the men in red who left the field defeated.  

59 year-old Pivac said he was not letting the criticism affect his state of mind after said result. 

"No, personal criticism doesn't hurt because it is a job you know where everybody is watching your every move," he said. 

"I believed we were good enough (to beat Italy), we had done enough work, and we could have won that game several times over. 

"The fact is we didn't, so you take what comes with that, and a lot of it is justified. 

Dan Biggar will retain the captaincy with long-time captain Alun Wyn Jones takes a spot on the bench. 

"Dan did well in the Six Nations and Al has come back from a pretty big lay-off," Pivac continued. 

"He has had a little bit of rugby and we want him to hit his straps as a second row and be the best player he can be and focus on playing."

Head to Head:

Played:  37

Won by SA:  30

Won by Wales:  6

Drawn:  1

Points for SA:  945

Points for Wales:  586