World Champions South Africa Prepare to Face Wales

Historically, Wales has recorded only seven victories against South Africa, suffering 34 defeats and one draw. The Autumn Nations Series fixture between Wales and South Africa is scheduled for Saturday, 23 November, at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff, with a kick-off time of 17:40 GMT. Live coverage will be available via S4C, BBC Radio Wales, Radio Cymru, and through live text and commentary on the BBC Sport website and app. Welsh rugby is currently experiencing a challenging period, with no immediate relief in sight as South Africa’s highly regarded rugby team arrives in Cardiff. Last weekend’s significant 52-20 defeat by Australia marked a record 11th consecutive international loss for Wales. It is anticipated that this losing streak will likely extend to 12 matches on Saturday when they face the two-time world champions. Head coach Warren Gatland is facing considerable pressure, leading to speculation about whether Saturday’s match at Principality Stadium could be his final Test in charge of the Welsh team. The New Zealand-born coach has stated his wish to remain in his position, but his tenure is challenged by a lack of positive results, as Wales has not secured a Test victory since the 2023 World Cup. While it remains possible that Gatland, whose current second tenure as Wales head coach differs significantly from his successful first period between 2008 and 2019, might continue through the upcoming Six Nations tournament, the final decision is still pending. This week, Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus offered a defense of his former colleague Gatland, advocating for the Wales coach to receive due respect. Despite this, no leniency is expected on the field, as South Africa seeks to achieve their 11th victory in 13 matches during 2024, concluding their year’s fixtures in Cardiff. A video element was not available for viewing. A segment titled “Warren Gatland: Head coach hopes for time to turn Wales’ fortunes around” was presented. A loss this weekend would mean Wales concludes a full calendar year without a Test match victory, a situation not seen since 1937, a year in which the national team recorded only three defeats. Regarding performance, 2024 is set to be recognized as the least successful year in Wales’ 143-year international rugby union history. The year commenced with an unexpected 27-26 home loss to Scotland, marking Scotland’s first victory in Cardiff since 2002, from which Wales did not manage to recover. This was followed by a narrow away defeat to England, then decisive losses against Ireland and France. A subsequent home defeat to Italy resulted in Wales losing all their Six Nations matches and finishing at the bottom of the table for the first time in 21 years. The summer period saw additional losses against South Africa and Australia (on two occasions). Subsequently, Fiji and the Wallabies secured victories during the current Autumn Nations Series, positioning the Springboks to potentially finalize a disastrous year for Welsh rugby supporters. Sam Costelow has participated in 17 international matches for Wales. Wales has been compelled to implement two last-minute alterations to their squad due to the unavailability of prop Gareth Thomas (illness) and wing Tom Rogers (calf injury). Nicky Smith will join the front row, with Kemsley Mathias moving to the bench. Josh Hathaway is set to make his initial start of the autumn season on the wing, and Owen Watkin has been added to the bench. These adjustments result in six changes from the team that faced Australia, with Rio Dyer (wing), fly-half Sam Costelow, lock Christ Tshiunza, and number eight Taine Plumtree all starting. A single positional adjustment involves wing Blair Murray shifting to full-back, taking the place of Cameron Winnett. Dyer will wear the number 11 jersey, previously worn by Murray in the preceding two matches. Costelow steps in for Gareth Anscombe, Tshiunza takes over from the injured Adam Beard, and Plumtree replaces Aaron Wainwright. Gloucester lock Freddie Thomas is poised to potentially make his international debut from the substitute bench. South Africa has implemented six changes from the squad that defeated England, featuring starts for the Hendrikse brothers, Jaden and Jordan, in the half-back positions. The remaining four changes are in the forward pack, with hooker Johan Grobbelaar, prop Thomas du Toit, lock Franco Mostert, and flanker Elrigh Louw all included. Prop Ox Nche, initially selected, was withdrawn, leading to Wilco Louw retaining his tight-head prop role and du Toit playing at loose-head. Jean Kleyn was also a late withdrawal, resulting in Eben Etzebeth starting once more. The formidable substitute bench comprises six forwards, including Malcolm Marx, RG Snyman, and Vincent Koch, alongside the uncapped, Wales-qualified flanker Cameron Hanekom. Etzebeth and his lock partner Franco Mostert collectively possess 207 international caps, which is two more Test appearances than the entire starting Wales team for Saturday’s match. The significant disparity in experience between the two squads is further underscored by Wales’ 23-man match-day squad accumulating 334 caps in total, a figure only nine less than the South African replacements alone. The seven players in Wales’ starting backline collectively hold just 61 international caps. The Springboks’ 23-man squad for the fixture collectively boasts 963 Test caps, with 638 of those belonging to the starting lineup. Furthermore, the South Africa squad includes 16 World Cup winners. The Wales squad is as follows: Murray; Hathaway, Llewellyn, B Thomas