Wales and South Africa end the autumn Test series in Cardiff on Saturday in a match that, because it is outside the official window, is called a fourth international. In this case, it could refer to players who are not first or second or even third choice getting an outing with both sides badly disrupted by injury and unavailability.
Only seven of the two starting lineups from the match between the sides a year ago remain, four in the red of Wales who have 313 of the team’s 451 caps: Leigh Halfpenny, Dan Biggar, Alun Wyn Jones and Taulupe Faletau. The South Africa captain, Eben Etzebeth, the only Springbok starter who has passed 50 caps, is one of their three survivors.
Another, the second-row Lood de Jager, attempted to stimulate interest in a match that, since New Zealand upped their asking price for appearing in a fourth international to such a level that even the Rugby Football Union baulked at it, struggles to attract a capacity crowd.
“Wales have a lot of experience and some smart players,” De Jager said. “A guy like Alun Wyn Jones bends the rules a bit and gets away with a lot of it. He is a very good player I rate highly and it is going to be a good challenge.” Asked if he was intimating Jones was a cheat, he replied: “I’ll just say he’s a smart player who gets away with one or two things.”
Wales have won their past two internationals against South Africa in Cardiff but in between were knocked out of the 2015 World Cup by the Springboks at the quarter-final stage at Twickenham. They are without 12 players who are injured, including seven who toured New Zealand with the Lions in the summer, and four who have had to return to their English clubs this week.
The only new cap is the Scarlets centre Hadleigh Parkes, a 30-year-old New Zealander who qualifies for his adopted country on residency on the day of the game. Aled Davies starts at scrum-half with Gareth Davies injured and Rhys Webb on the bench having sustained a head injury against New Zealand last week.
The side contain five first-choice players and after defeats in the series to Australia and New Zealand, together with an unconvincing win against Georgia, Warren Gatland is looking for a result and not just a performance. “All of us are aware of how important it is to get a result,” the Wales coach said.
“We want to achieve that by playing as positively as we have been doing. We are expecting a hard encounter against a side that is developing some depth and we need to take the opportunities we created against Australia and New Zealand.”
This time a year ago the South Africa coach, Allister Coetzee, was facing calls for him to be dismissed after the most unsuccessful year endured by the Springboks, with three victories and a first defeat to Italy. He survived and the record in 2017 is three defeats in 12 matches, although they have not beaten a side ranked above them.
“The team is completely different from Cardiff last year,” he said. “The environment has changed a lot and there is a clear understanding of how we want to play. I am confident these players will take the opportunity to perform well and end the season on a high. No one is packing their luggage. The enthusiasm in training this week and vibe have been remarkable. The players understand it is the most important three days for them. If you want a good holiday, you must earn it by turning up and playing well.”
