Wales coach Steve Tandy and his team are preparing for a serious physical clash with the world champions Springboks in Durban this Saturday, as part of the third round of the Nations Cup. The Welsh team aims to demonstrate a 'real physical advantage.'
Tandy made six changes to his squad compared to the previous weekend, strengthening the forwards for the upcoming match at Kings Park stadium, which starts at 17:40. Players such as Teddy Williams, who has fewer than 10 caps, as well as Dan Edwards and Max Llewellyn, who are the only back-rowers with fewer than 20 test matches, have been included.
Wales also decided to distribute substitutes in a 6-2 ratio in favor of the forwards, highlighting the expected physical confrontation with the world champions. After captain Dewey Lake was declared fit following injury concerns, Tandy selected a more experienced lineup for the encounter with the Springboks, hoping to finish the initial rounds of the tournament on a positive note.
Following the announcement of the squad, Tandy noted that since the season is drawing to a close and the team has traveled extensively, some players need a chance to refresh the squad. He added that South Africa is the world champion and possesses a large reserve. Wales' goal is to showcase their playing style, and they intend to show a 'real physical advantage' when playing against possibly the most physical team in the world, which is an excellent opportunity to test themselves against the best team in the world.
Wales faces perhaps the toughest challenge in the championship against the Springboks team, which seeks another victory, and Tandy hopes that his team's physical determination can match the intensity of the hosts in Durban.
The Junior Springboks team gained their first playoff experience in the match against Wales during the final group stage of the U20 World Cup, which took place in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Tuesday.
Now the team faces a more serious task: they will meet England in the semi-finals, striving to secure a spot in the final and achieve an unprecedented consecutive victory in the U20 World Cup. The game against Wales showed them what to expect, and the same determination and composure will be required to reach the decisive title match.
After a sluggish start against the Welshmen, the Junior Boks managed to increase the pace and demonstrate significant composure, similar to how the senior Springboks played against England at the Nations Cup last week to finish the encounter.
The team can now draw confidence from both its own performance and the examples set by world champions as it prepares for another confrontation with England. The other semi-final will take place between France and New Zealand.
Junior Springboks coach Kevin Fouet noted that the game against Wales was in the context of the fight for a semi-final spot, meaning it was a playoff match. He added that the team achieved its first goal by passing the group stage and is now focused on the semi-final, relying on the experience of some players in this tournament's playoffs.
The Welsh side put the SA U20 through a tough test, leading 14-0 early on, but the team then managed an impressive comeback. This moment is also viewed positively, as the players demonstrated resilience and perseverance when faced with a difficult situation.
However, they realize they cannot afford to repeat the passive start against England on Monday. Fouet emphasized the need to work on defensive aspects and ball retention, stating that the team will analyze the game, closely study turnovers, and increase its sharpness before the semi-final.
In three group stage matches, the Junior Boks scored 189 points while conceding only 45. Their 29 attempts were the highest among all teams. Despite some defensive shortcomings against Wales, the overall statistics provide a strong foundation for the upcoming match against England.
Fouet's team is the only one to finish the group stage with a point difference exceeding 100. Now they need to learn from all three games and play a complete game to win the semi-final.
The Springboks team demonstrated powerful play during their Nations Championship match against England, which took place on a Saturday night at Ellis Park stadium.
Despite the Springboks not playing at their best on Saturday night at Ellis Park against England, they were still too strong for the visitors, winning with a score of 43:21 in the opening Nations Championship match.
The victory was secured by touchdowns scored by players: the prop Thomas du Toit, wingers Cheslin Kolbe and Kurt-Lee Arendse, scrum-half Grant Williams, centre Jesse Kriel, hooker Malcolm Marks, and utility forward Ben-Jason Dixon. Additionally, Kolbe contributed several extra points through conversions.
For their part, England scored goals through prop Ellis Genge, locks George Martin and Alex Cole, while fullback Finn Smith successfully converted penalties. In the last ten minutes of the match, players Tommy Freeman and Pepper received yellow cards, forcing England to finish the game with 13 players.
