Wales v South Africa - teams and prediction

PREVIEW: South Africa will look to start building some ‘momentum’ in their final two matches ahead of their World Cup title defence.

After a scratchy Rugby Championship campaign and the warm-up match against Argentina a fortnight ago – which involved constant team changes, with upwards of nine alterations from one match to the next – Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber now looks to settle on the core of the team that will feature in the key matches at the global showpiece.

With just two warm-up matches remaining – against Wales in Cardiff this coming Saturday and New Zealand at Twickenham next Friday – Nienaber is looking to field a more settled matchday 23.

No more than four or five changes are expected.

However, more importantly, it is important to “get some momentum” going into the World Cup.

“Winning a Test will build nice momentum,” the Bok coach told @rugby365com ahead of Saturday’s face-off with the Welsh Dragons at the Millennium Stadium.

He added that they need to build ‘momentum’ in all aspects of their game.

Wales coach Warren Gatland has a very different set of goals.

Having made 14 changes to his starting XV from last week – including the late withdrawal of players like British and Irish Lions duo Dan Biggar and Liam Williams, along with wing Alex Cuthbert – he is expecting a massive battle at home.

Gatland said the Boks will bring ‘confidence’ and ‘physicality’ to the game.

* (Continue below Gatland interview …)

“They don’t make a lot of mistakes,” Gatland said.

“It’s a very experienced Springbok team.

“However, we’ve got a great chance to go out there in front of a home crowd and produce some of the good things that we did in both the games against England.

“We just need to make sure we play for 80 minutes and are accurate for 80 minutes.”

Looking at the threats that Wales can pose, Nienaber pointed to the numerous ‘personnel changes’ from the Six Nations – including greats like Alun Wyn Jones, Justin Tipuric and Rhys Webb who retired from the international game.

“There are younger players coming through,” the Bok coach said.

“They are tough and quality players.”

(WATCH as Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber previews the World Cup warm-up encounter with Wales in Cardiff…)

He also pointed to the narrow margin of the most recent history of matches between the two countries, with just one of the last five encounters won by more than a single score.

“It is always a tough affair and we expect [another] grind,” Nienaber said.

“It will be a proper Test, which is awesome for us.”

He said from the World Cup semifinal in Yokohama – when a Handre Pollard penalty four minutes from time sealed a 19-16 win – there is a history of the Boks having to work hard for their victories.

South Africa’s 23-18 win in November of 2021 was the first Bok victory in Cardiff for nearly a decade.

“It is going to be tight and that is exactly what you want going into a World Cup.”

Players to watch

For Wales: Under the guise of ‘building some depth’, Warren Gatland is sending a very green team into battle with the Boks. Jac Morgan looks increasingly likely to lead Wales at the World Cup, after the flank was named as captain for a warm-up match against reigning champions South Africa. It will be the second time in three games that Morgan skippers his country. Dewi Lake led Wales during last week’s 17-19 loss to England at Twickenham, but the hooker went off in the first half with a knee injury. Gatland recalled wing Alex Cuthbert and centre Johnny Williams for their first appearances of the warm-up campaign. Taine Basham is on the bench for the visit of the Springboks after failing a head injury assessment following a shoulder-led tackle by England captain Owen Farrell at Twickenham last weekend. The Welsh Rugby Union said Basham was ‘not a confirmed concussion’ following completion of all three stages of the Head Injury Assessment protocol. With the late withdrawal of Dan Biggar and Liam Williams Gatland has made 14 changes from the side edged out by England, with only flank Dan Lydiate remaining in the starting XV.

For South Africa: The return from injury of Siyamthanda Kolisi headlines the South Africa team – his first Test appearance this year. Kolisi underwent knee surgery in April, with medical experts initially pessimistic about his chances of featuring in the World Cup in France next month. But the flank has defied the odds with a quicker-than-expected recovery and will lead South Africa in Cardiff. Scrumhalf Jaden Hendrikse is also back in the South African team after battling a shoulder injury and then leaving the Pretoria training base temporarily to mourn the loss of his father Brian. Ox Nche is named among the replacements after the prop returned from a torn pectoral injury while training for the season opener against Australia. The trio missed the first four matches of the Springboks’ season in July and August against Australia, New Zealand and Argentina (twice). Bolstered by his returning players, Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber named an experienced starting line-up as the World Cup looms – 11 changes to the starting team that defeated Argentina 24-13 in Buenos Aires a fortnight ago.

Head to head

Prediction

@rugby365com: South Africa by 12 points

Teams

Wales: 15 Cai Evans, 14 Tom Rogers, 13 Mason Grady, 12 Johnny Williams, 11 Rio Dyer, 10 Sam Costelow, 9 Kieran Hardy, 8 Aaron Wainwright, 7 Jac Morgan (captain), 6 Dan Lydiate, 5 Will Rowlands, 4 Ben Carter, 3 Keiron Assiratti, 2 Elliot Dee, 1 Corey Domachowski.Replacements: 16 Sam Parry, 17 Nicky Smith, 18 Henry Thomas, 19 Teddy Williams, 20 Taine Basham, 21 Tomos Williams, 22 Max Llewellyn, 23 Louis Rees-Zammit.

South Africa: 15 Willie le Roux, 14 Canan Moodie, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Cheslin Kolbe, 10 Manie Libbok, 9 Jaden Hendrikse, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siyamthanda Kolisi (captain), 5 Rudolph Snyman, 4 Jean Kleyn, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Steven Kitshoff.Replacements: 16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Ox Nche, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Franco Mostert, 20 Marco van Staden, 21 Duane Vermeulen, 22 Grant Williams, 23 Damian Willemse.

Date: Saturday, August 19Venue: Millennium Stadium, CardiffKick-off: 15.15 (16.15 SA time; 14.15 GMT)Expected weather: The roof will be closed.Referee: Andrew Brace (Ireland)Assistant referees: Chris Busby (Ireland), Eoghan Cross (Ireland)TMO: Joy Neville (Ireland)

* Additional reporting by AFP