The Springboks enjoyed their little dress rehearsal against the ‘World XV’ in Cape Town, but now it’s time for the real thing as Wales touch down in Durban. It’s been a long time since the men in red visited the home of the Sharks, 50 years to be precise. In all that time they’ve still never beaten the Boks on their home soil. That’s unlikely to change this weekend, but not impossible.
Much has been made about the Six Nations sides sending depleted squads south, but as England proved in Auckland there are more than fifteen players worthy of test rugby in the northern countries. Wales will be without four key Lions stars, including Richard Hibbard, Justin Tipuric, Leigh Halfpenny, and captain Sam Warburton. Of those the flankers are the biggest blows, but this Welsh side is far from weak.
The Welsh pack matches their South African counterparts in experience though it does concede a little bulk in the back row. Aaron Shingler fills in at openside and has by far the slightest build of any forward, but makes up for it with height and real pace. He won’t want to take Francois Louw head on at the breakdown, it’s a support role that he’ll be asked to play, one he is comfortable with. Wales might suffer a bit in the tackle area as a result, so surely part of their game plan will be to stay on their feet and keep the ball alive.
Ken Owens isn’t as big or powerful as Hibbard, but he is strong technically and arguably better over the ball. Backing him up is vastly experienced Matthew Rees, a former captain whose recent battle with cancer will be inspirational to the squad. Alun Wyn Jones is the man tasked with leading the side, a role he proved more than comfortable with leading the Lions to victory in the 3rd test against the Wallabies a year ago.
The backs are the usual gargantuan suspects, minus the superboot of Halfpenny. In his stead is tempermental Scarlets fullback Liam Williams. At his best he is a dangerous counter-attacker, which may come in handy against the kick-happy Springbok halfbacks. Across the board the three-quarter line outweighs their opposites by a considerable margin, and it’s there that Wales must aim to do their damage.
South Africa will counter with field position and the rolling maul, a tactic that has served them for an age and served them well. Victor Matfield remains the king of the lineout and with his right-hand man Bakkies Botha back beside him, it’s plain as daylight where the strength of this side resides. Gurthrö Steenkamp joins the 50-cap club this week and is gifted the start, which only means that The Beast will be fresh in the second half.
The big news out of camp during the week was that Frans Steyn had withdrawn himself from the squad due to a contractual disagreement with SARU. It’s hardly surprising given the union’s troublesome history, but a disruption nonetheless, and one Heyneke Meyer would not have enjoyed given that captain Jean de Villiers has already been ruled out, as well as midfield contenders Juan de Jongh, Damian de Allende, and Jaque Fourie.
While their depth is certainly being tested, former world u20 player of the year Jan Serfontein is hardly a turnstile. Outside him are familiar faces J.P. Pietersen, Bryan Habana, and Willie le Roux, all household names in the Rainbow Nation. A new name for some will be Cornal Hendricks, winning his first official cap. The Cheetahs flyer has starred on the IRB Sevens circuit for a few years now and has plenty of gusto to go with serious pace.
The bench also features some familiar names. Schalk Burger, Ruan Pienaar, and dynamite Saracens favourite Schalk Brits. Coenie Oosthuizen is a fearsome prospect with ball in hand, and uncapped Lood de Jager is a huge man, even bigger than Bakkies, with surprisingly soft hands and a real zest for smashing things.
This one could either be a real cracker or a bit of a dud. If Wales front up and put some points on the board early, it will force the Springboks to play rugby and give the fans a treat. By contrast if South Africa get on top with an early score or a couple kicks, they’ll play field position all day long and Wales will have to play catch-up against a very physical back row. In either case, South Africa should be just a little bit better this week. Take the home side by 10.
SOUTH AFRICA vs WALES
Saturday, June 14, 15:00 GMT, Durban
Referee: Romain Poite (FFR)
Assistants: Steve Walsh (ARU) & Francisco Pastrana (UAR)
TMO: Graham Hughes (RFU)
