Wales have announced their team to play South Africa in their opening Autumn International Test match, initially with Ospreys wing Eli Walker being named to make his international debut. Walker has since been sidelined by injury and is replaced by Liam Williams (Scarlets).
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Walker was the only uncapped player named in the squad, until replaced, which also sees the return from injury of 2012 Grand Slam winning fly-half Rhys Priestland (Scarlets), and flanker Dan Lydiate (Racing Metro), who lines up for Wales for the first time since the summer of 2012.
Cardiff Blues prop Gethin Jenkins will win his 99th cap and is joined in the front row by the experienced duo of Richard Hibbard and Adam Jones (both Ospreys). Bradley Davies (Blues) joins Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys) in the second-row and the back-row is an all British and Irish Lions’ affair with Lydiate playing alongside Captain Sam Warburton (Blues) and Dragons’ Toby Faletau.
Mike Phillips will partner Priestland at half-back and the midfield is made up of the Scarlets centre pairing of Scott Williams and Jonathan Davies.
Liam Williams, is joined by George North (Northampton Saints) on the wing, who himself made his debut against the Springboks three years ago, scoring a brace of tries. Cardiff Blues full-back Leigh Halfpenny wears fifteen.
The match against South Africa is the first of four autumn games at the Millennium Stadium and head coach Warren Gatland knows it is going to be a huge encounter on Saturday.
“We always say we like to test ourselves against the best and Saturday is going to be just that with a huge game against South Africa first up,” said Gatland.
“The Springboks arrive in the UK off the back of their impressive Rugby Championship campaign and we know that we need to start well on Saturday.
“We go into the series as Six Nations Champions but we are looking forward to testing ourselves against the southern hemisphere sides and showing what we are can do.
“Since we have been together, competition in the squad has been good and it is great to have both Rhys and Dan back available for us.
Ashley Beck replaces Liam Williams on the bench, after being bumped up to the starting side.
Wales: 15 Leigh Halfpenny (Blues), 14 George North (Northampton Saints), 13 Jonathan Davies (Scarlets), 12 Scott Williams (Scarlets), 11 Liam Williams (Scarlets), 10 Rhys Priestland (Scarlets), 9 Mike Phillips (Unattached), 8 Toby Faletau, 7 Sam Warburton (Blues – Captain), 6 Dan Lydiate (Racing Metro), 5 Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys), Bradley Davies (Blues), 3 Adam Jones (Ospreys), 2 Richard Hibbard (Ospreys), 1 Gethin Jenkins (Blues)
Replacements: 16 Ken Owens (Scarlets), 17 Paul James (Bath), 18 Scott Andrews (Blues), 19 Luke Charteris (Perpignan), 20 Justin Tipuric (Ospreys), 21 Lloyd Williams (Blues), 22 James Hook (Perpignan), 23 Ashley Beck (Ospreys).
Good side… must prey on some of the less experienced internationals like Scott Williams, Eli Walker…
EP Rugby CEO, Charl Crous, announced that three friendlies with South African Franchises, the Cheetahs, Lions and Stormers, have been confirmed to take place at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium next year.
The fixtures are:
25 January: Kings v Cheetahs
1 February: Kings v Lions
7 February: Kings v Stormers
10 Starters for the B&I Lions in their demolition job of the shackledraggers and Warburton who we can happily call the unlucky 11th! This is a strong team, and the Boks have a real game on their hands! Wow, should be a great game. Can’t wait.
About Eli.
21 years old, 1.84m, 84kg.
100m in 10.4 sec
Represented Wales at U16, U18 and U20 level.
Club – Ospreys where he has scored 10 in 36 appearances.
They have high hopes for Williams too, down in the Valleys, where he is known as ‘the burglar’.
JdV gets a reprieve with Roberts out, but this chaps quick, agile, got a sidestep of note, and is pretty handy on defence too
3, 4 & 5 @ Just For Kicks:
Yip, Wales is a good side, so too the evolved Springbok side under Heyneke Meyer.
It’s not going to be easy, and you’ll find no false bravado by me…
But man for man, pack for pack and backline compared to backline, there is no reason the Springboks have to stand back for Wales.
We expect the Springboks to do well and rightly so, without underestimating Wales.
A scrum consists not only of prop (Jenkins) against prop (Malherbe / Adriaanse) or prop (Jones) against prop (Beast) but a collective 8-man effort, under the new laws.
In the backline the Springboks are world class and almost all experienced, whereas the Wales backline should be good… but 2 members are inexperienced, even if talented… and if I was to aim at something, I would aim at that inexperience.
The battle will be won up front and at the breakdowns though, I hope the Springboks are prepared for THAT battle.
Goooooooooo Bokke!
Who do I think would win? I’d have to pick the Springboks, as No 2 ranked side in the world, against Wales.
England should beat the Pumas
Scotland will beat Japan
Ireland should beat Samoa
All Blacks will beat France
Wallabies will beat Italy
I quite like Wales, with rugby being THEIR national sport.
In terms of like and dislike, they are probably my 2nd choice side.
Sides I do not like include the “vuilgat” Samoans. I have no affinity for, bond or connection with England or the Wallabies… I almost like to dislike them…. hahahaha
I respect the All Blacks… France is an unstable or unpredictable quantity, Ireland often punch above their weight, Scotland and the Pumas have dropped a notch or 2 in my estimations for negative type of play, recently.
Italy are also-runs.
The big “Brag” put out into the media this week by Wales… is a bit off-putting, thinking and saying they were the backbone of the British & Irish Lions, therefore think they can and will beat the Springboks.
Luckily it seems there has not been any bluff and brag by the Springboks this week, I like their quiet confidence and diplomacy.
Some freegin difficult picks to make on Bru for this weekend
Georgia vs Canada????
Portugal vs Fiji – Fiji should win, I suppose
Romania vs Tonga???
USA vs New Zealand Maoris – Maoris should win
@GBS:
Wag dalk eerder vir die head to head van Donderdag. Die outjie wat die head to heads doen is nogal op die bol met daai tipe goed.
12 @ Timothy Bornman:
Jou Head to Heads was so bietjie erg rocky die laaste ruk… jy het die All Blacks met naastenby 100 voorspel…. hehehe
Ja ek suppose, maar dis Japan se skuld. hahahahahaha.
Hierdie naweek sal weer ten minste 75% reg wees.
8 @ grootblousmile:
Ag nee man wat nou GBS, thought you told me I had convinced you to make Scotland your 2nd team
15 @ Bullscot:
I was a bit disapointed with Scotland in June, when they were here in SA, with the negative and spoiling tactics they employed, Bully!
Understand me clearly though, I do not dislike Scotland… they have just slipped a little in my estimations…. so I suppose they would have to climb again, should they play positive rugby.
I see the game only starts in the evening.
Luckily I have to drum my daugter’s English into her for her exam on Monday, so at least I’ll be forced to stay off the Captain’s nectar until the game starts.
@GBS – post 8 & 9
Agree with you here, feel 100% the same
Good Welsh team although don’t know much about the front row replacements. Quite a good position for them to be in to have a guy like Tipuric on the bench think he is really good and in many other countries would be starting, so he should make a big impact with his fetching abilities coming off the bench. Also quite a luxury for them to no even have Dan Biggar in the match day squad at all, hopefully the Springboks will exploit this and show it to have been a mistake by Wales although Priestland has been getting back to good form again this PRO12.
SA Team announced on Sport24 a short while ago:
15 Patrick Lambie, 14 JP Pietersen, 13 Jaque Fourie, 12 Jean de Villiers (captain), 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Morné Steyn, 9 Fourie du Preez, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Willem Alberts, 6 Francois Louw, 5 Flip van der Merwe, 4 Eben Etzebeth, 3 Frans Malherbe, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Tendai Mtawarira.
Substitutes: 16 Adriaan Strauss, 17 Gurthrö Steenkamp 18 Coenie Oosthuizen, 19 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 20 Siya Kolisi, 21 Ruan Pienaar, 22 JJ Engelbrecht, 23 Willie le Roux
16 @ grootblousmile:
Hope you’re not perceiving Scotland actually being competitive and giving the Boks a tough game with negative play GBS
On this theme you may want to have a close look at the scrums on Saturday as the Welsh alledgedly were employing a tactic to try and get scrum penalties last season – what it is said they do is just before the front rows engage they move back slightly and so it can look as if the other team is engaging early and it can con the ref into blowing the penalty in their favour. Also look for playing players off the ball around rucks and big marginal tackles. Another thing to remember is that Allain Rolland may be feeling a lot of pressure following his harsh sending off of Warburton in World Cup 2011 in the semi-final against France. This is the first time since then he is blowing the whistle in a Wales game and apparently Gatland wasn’t going to do the normal pre- game thing of having a chat with him. So already in my mind some negative tactics…
Conditions will probably not be great for too much sparkling running rugby but even so have a look and see Wales may also employ a favoured tactic and do a lot of kicking straight down field, this to gain ground and even though it gives possession to the opposition they hope it will be far away from their try line and that they will be able to put pressure on the receiver and try win possession back that way rather than kick the ball to touch and face the lineout too often. By starving the Boks of too many throw ins at lineout time they should reduce the number of effective mauls from the Boks they will face. The quality of fetching in Warburton and Tipuric off the bench and the power of Lydiate probably give them more confidence in scrapping on the ground for the ball.
@ Bullscot:
I just hope Rolland will be wise to these negative tactics at scrum time.
@ Scrumdown:
Decent team this. Hope they will gel early and plat to their potential
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