Springboks v Wales preview: Rassie Erasmus’ stars to ‘annihilate’ Warren Gatland’s rookies
The back-to-back Rugby World Cup winners return to action as the Springboks tackle Wales at Twickenham Stadium in their first game since hoisting the William Webb Ellis trophy in 2023.
Rassie Erasmus returns as the Boks’ head coach in 2024 and fronts up against his old foe Warren Gatland as the fierce rivalry between South Africa and Wales adds another chapter at the home of English rugby.
While the two proud rugby nations are not traditional rivals, the ferocity of recent encounters and the closeness of the results in recent years make for feisty affairs, and hopefully, Saturday will be no different.
The last meeting between the two sides ahead of the World Cup was a true outliner as the Springboks marched to a 52-16 victory in Cardiff as four of the previous six matches between the Springboks and Wales were decided by five points or less.
Meanwhile, the two sides arrive in London with vastly contrasting form guides with the Springboks having last played in the tournament in France, winning their knockout matches over France, England and New Zealand by a single point.
As for Wales, after their quarter-final defeat to Argentina, Gatland’s charges lost all five of their Six Nations matches, collecting the Wooden Spoon for the first time in over two decades.
With the Springboks facing Ireland after this one-off Test and Wales heading to Australia, the match-up provides the outfits with the opportunity to shake off the rust ahead of the July internationals.
South Africa head into the fixture as overwhelming favourites despite both sides being hampered by the inability to select overseas-based players.
If Wales are to have any hope of claiming an upset or keeping the match close then their ability to get some parity in the set pieces is crucial; if they fail to do so, then a record win for the Springboks is certainly possible.
Despite the injury to Steven Kitshoff and the unavailability of the Bulls forwards, Siya Kolisi, Thomas du Toit and others, the Springboks boast an imposing forward pack consisting of seven double Rugby World Cup winners.
That includes an all-star front row, with Malcolm Marx making his long-awaited return and the powerhouse prop duo of Ox Nche and Vincent Koch.
The Springboks are renowned for their approach to the scrum as they will always seek out an opportunity to win a penalty and march up the pitch.
Wales will need to do damage limitation in the scrums at the very least, which will be a real concern, having already lost Henry Thomas to injury before the game and have had their struggles in the set-piece recently.
While the scrum will be of major importance and have a bearing on the final result, the lineouts will be just as crucial as it will be where Wales could have the best chance of unlocking the Bok defence.
Clean attacking ball from the set-piece will be a must for both teams but hugely important for Wales in particular, and their ability to contest and disrupt the Springboks’ platform will go a long way in potentially claiming a shock result.
