The back-to-back World Champion Springboks are back in action for the first time since that famous night in Paris last October. They’ll face off against a new-look Wales side at Twickenham on Saturday afternoon. Here’s everything you need to know.
The cycle begins anew for Boks and Wales
It’s crazy to think that SA Rugby’s desperate scrambling to save the Britsh & Irish Lions Tour at amid the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and the July unrest that rocked KwaZulu-Natal and parts of Gauteng and Mpumalanga was just four years ago.
Now, without the spectre of a global pandemic hanging over the world game, the Springboks can begin a new World Cup cycle on their own terms. With Rassie Erasmus at the helm, supported by a new-look backroom staff, the four-time World Champions’ preparation for a tilt at an unlikely three-peat can begin in earnest.
First up: Wales at Twickenham. The Springboks certainly have fond recent memories in South-West London. Their last game at the ground was that famous 35-7 demolition of the All Blacks just before the 2023 World Cup in which Jacques Nienaber and Erasmus debuted the infamous 7-1 split. They also beat England 27-13 Rugby HQ back in November 2022 with Kurt-Lee Arendse memorably burning Marcus Smith on the outside to score the Boks’ first try of the game.
Looking ahead to Saturday, it’s worth noting that this match falls outside IRB’s Test window, so the Boks will be without some familiar names, with a significant contigent of overseas-based and Bulls players unavailable for selection. That, however, doesn’t diminish the game’s importance with Rassie and co all too aware that they need to build depth ahead of Australia 2027.
🇿🇦 He just cannot stop scoring!
— Autumn Nations Series (@autumnnations) November 26, 2022
Kurt-Lee Arendse is a superstar 🌟
What a try from the @Springboks 🔥#AutumnNationsSeries | #ENGvRSA pic.twitter.com/T75NhKJJoB
When and where to watch?
The match will be broadcast on SuperSport Grandstand (channel 201 on DStv). You can catch the build-up starting at 14:00 with the live crossing taking place at 14:50.
You’d best do your braaing nice and early because you’re going to want to stay in front of your TV with the Bulls’ URC final date with Glasgow Warriors at Loftus being broadcast immediately after the Springbok game.
Betting odds
As you’d expect, the Springboks are heavy favourites for Saturday. Here at Hollywoodbets, we make the men in Green and Gold 20.5-point favourites. Take a look at the match betting and the handicap spread below.
To Win Match
South Africa 1/25 | Draw 33/1 | Wales 9/1
Handicap
South Africa (-20.5) 9/10 | Wales (+20.5) 9/10
Twickenham
Having hosted a boatload of Test matches over the last 114 years, Twickenham really needs no introduction. The Springboks have enjoyed recent trips to HQ, earning comfortable victories against England (27-13) in the 2022 and New Zealand (35-7) in 2023.
South Africa and Wales have met once at Twickenham in the past. That clash came back in the 2015 World Cup when a young Duane Vermeulen combined with Fourie du Preez off the back of a dominant scrum with the latter scoring the try that sent Heyneke Meyer’s side into the semi-final.
What better way to get you in the mood for this weekend's semi-final than to relive THAT try by Fourie du Preez in the 2015 Rugby World Cup against Wales 🇿🇦🏴#RWC2019 #StrongerTogether pic.twitter.com/loqnGQV0Hy
— SuperSport 🏆 (@SuperSportTV) October 25, 2019
Last meeting & head-to-heads
The last time these two sides met the Springboks ran out 52-16 winners at the Principality Stadium with Malcolm Marx, Canan Moodie (2), Jesse Kriel (2), Pieter-Steph du Toit and Damian Willemse scoring in that pre-World Cup romp.
Wales have won just one of the sides’ last five meetings, that 12-13 victory coming in a tight affair at the Free State Stadium against an experimental South African side.
- 19 August 2023: SA won 16-52 in Cardiff
- 16 July 2022: SA won 30-14 in Cape Town
- 9 July 2022: Wales won 12-13 in Bloemfontein
- 2 July 2022: SA won 32-29 in Pretoria
- 6 November 2021: SA won 18-23 in Cardiff
Teams
The Springboks certainly look stronger on paper than this Welsh outfit. Having said that, both sides will likely need some time to shake off the rust ahead of Test matches agaisnt Ireland (for South Africa) and Australia (for Wales).
Springboks
15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Edwill van der Merwe*, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Makazole Mapimpi, 10 Jordan Hendrikse*, 9 Faf de Klerk, 8 Evan Roos, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit (c), 6 Kwagga Smith, 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Vincent Koch, 2 Malcolm Marx, 1 Ox Nche
Replacements: 16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Ntuthuko Mchunu, 18 Frans Malherbe, 19 Salmaan Moerat, 20 Ben-Jason Dixon*, 21 Grant Williams, 22 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu*, 23 Damian de Allende
Wales
5 Cameron Winnett, 14 Liam Williams, 13 Owen Watkin, 12 Mason Grady, 11 Rio Dyer, 10 Sam Costelow, 9 Ellis Bevan*, 8 Aaron Wainwright, 7 James Botham, 6 Taine Plumtree, 5 Ben Carter, 4 Matthew Screech, 3 Keiron Assiratti, 2 Dewi Lake, 1 Gareth Thomas
Replacements: 16 Evan Lloyd, 17 Kemsley Mathias, 18 Harri O’Connor, 19 James Ratti*, 20 Mackenzie Martin, 21 Gareth Davies, 22 Eddie James*, 23 Jacob Beetham*
* On debut
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