Wales vs South Africa: Hosts welcome fearsome Springboks to Cardiff – but why are they shorn of 11 starters?
To face this current iteration of South Africa’s Springboks is one of the biggest challenges in rugby at the moment. To face them with the majority of your matchday squad unavailable borders on ludicrous.
As is well documented, Welsh rugby is not in a good place.
From 10 Tests in 2025, they have only won two – both of those coming against Japan. To apply context reveals a reading even more grim: Japan also beat them once this year, and only lost to Wales via a last-gasp penalty in Cardiff a fortnight ago.
Such a year comes off the back of a shocking 2024 in which they lost all 11 Test matches consecutively.
So far this November, Wales shipped 52 points in a home defeat to Argentina, just squeaked past Japan, and then conceded 52 points again last week in a heavy loss to New Zealand.
Their fourth fixture this autumn sees the Springboks roll into town for the only Test match this weekend. It is so because this falls outside of World Rugby’s official Test window, with club matches also back this weekend.
The net result is a disastrous weakening of Wales’ squad, to the point of near crisis.
Scrum-half Tomos Williams, one of only two British and Irish Lions in the summer, is one of a number of plays ineligible to play
Owing to the fact a number of head coach Steve Tandy’s squad play in England’s Prem – plus one in France’s Top 14 – Wales lost 13 players from their camp this week.
Some 10 of these were involved in the squad to take on the All Blacks last Saturday at the Principality Stadium.
Wing Louis Rees-Zammit (Bristol Bears), centre Max Llewellyn (Gloucester), scrum-half Tomos Williams (Gloucester), loosehead prop Rhys Carre (Saracens), second row Dafydd Jenkins (Exeter Chiefs), second row Adam Beard (Montpellier), tighthead Archie Griffin (Bath), back-row Freddie Thomas (Gloucester), fly-half Jarrod Evans (Harlequins) and centre Nick Tompkins (Saracens) have all been taken out of the fray since last week.
As if that wasn’t enough, Scarlets wing Tom Rogers – who made history as the first player from Britain to score a hat-trick against the All Blacks last week – has also pulled out due to a hamstring injury.
As a result, 11 players who would have ordinarily formed part of Wales’ 23-player squad this month, will be missing for the visit of the world’s No 1 ranked outfit. It’s a situation bordering on farcical.
“The boys that were playing last weekend want to go again, so I think that bit of cohesion is massive,” Tandy – overseeing his first Test window in charge of Wales – said this week.
“It would be very helpful for club teams as well, but also for our boys because those that are not here are pretty gutted they’re not undertaking South Africa.
To compound the loss of the absentees, Scarlets wing Tom Rogers – who created history with his hat-trick vs New Zealand last week – is out injured
“I know that’s part of playing outside of Wales, so I think that’ll be easier for everyone [next year’s larger Test window]. It gives you clarity and certainty, which is much better.
“In any walk of life, what are we going to focus on? Are we going to be downbeat on something?
“It’s an opportunity for these boys, and for us as coaches to coach against South Africa. We’ve got to find ways of how we build that as well, do things slightly differently.
“I can’t see how we go into it and be negative. I don’t believe in that anyway, I want to see the best in what we do.”
South Africa secured a 24-13 victory over Ireland in Dublin last time out – a Test where their scrum was overwhelmingly dominant
Wales captain and back-row Jac Morgan – who toured with the British and Irish Lions in the summer – is already out long-term due to a serious shoulder injury.
Only six Wales players will have featured in all four Tests this month – full-back Blair Murray, fly-half Dan Edwards, scrum-half Kieran Hardy, hooker and captain Dewi Lake, tighthead prop Keiron Assiratti, back-row forward Alex Mann.
On Saturday, 10 players will play their first Test of the autumn – wings Ellis Mee and Rio Dyer, centre Joe Roberts and locks Ben Carter and Rhys Davies from the start; uncapped loosehead prop Danny Southworth, tighthead prop Chris Coleman, lock James Ratti, scrum-half Reuben Morgan-Williams and fly-half Callum Sheedy from the bench.
The Springboks have also travelled to France and won this November in what has been an impressive month
“What we want to see from the boys is the same type of effort and performance as we did last weekend (vs New Zealand),” Tandy added.
“I think we showed a lot of attacking intent, a lot of toughness in the way we went about lots of the defensive effort as well, to give the supporters something to shout about.
“The fans on the weekend were electric. I think the boys really responded to how good the support was.
“We’re going into the last game, which we’re all excited about.
“Ultimately, for us to grow, we want competition. So I believe these boys on the weekend will put their case forward.
“The more we have selection headaches in certain positions, going into Six Nations, that’s only going to be better.”
The teams: Wales vs South Africa (Saturday, 3.10pm kick-off)
Wales: 15 Blair Murray, 14 Ellis Mee, 13 Joe Roberts, 12 Joe Hawkins, 11 Rio Dyer, 10 Dan Edwards, 9 Kieran Hardy; 1 Gareth Thomas, 2 Dewi Lake, 3 Keiron Assiratti, 4 Ben Carter, 5 Rhys Davies, 6 Taine Plumtree, 7 Alex Mann, 8 Aaron Wainwright
Replacements: 16 Brodie Coghlan, 17 Danny Southworth, 18 Chris Coleman, 19 James Ratti, 20 Morgan Morse, 21 Reuben Morgan Williams, 22 Callum Sheedy, 23 Ben Thomas.
South Africa: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Ethan Hooker, 13 Damian de Allende, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Canan Moodie, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Morne van den Berg; 1 Gerhard Steenekamp, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 3 Wilco Louw, 4 Jean Kleyn, 5 Ruan Nortje, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 7 Franco Mostert, 8 Jasper Wiese.
Replacements: 16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Zachary Porthen, 18 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 19 Eben Etzebeth, 20 Marco van Staden, 21 Ben Jason Dixon, 22 Kwagga Smith, 23 Cobus Reinach.
