After breaking their Cardiff curse, Dewi Lake and Wales aim for a massive upset against the Springboks at Kings Park on 18 July. Photo: AFP
Image: AFP
Our final instalment of our SPRINGBOKS IN THEIR SIGHTS mini-series shifts focus to Wales.
After a grueling Six Nations campaign that tested the very fabric of Welsh rugby, Steve Tandy’s men arrive in South Africa looking to transform "green shoots" into a mid-winter harvest.
World Rugby ranking: 11th | Six Nations finish: Sixth | Nations Cup v South Africa: 18 July at Kings Park
In the first two rounds, there was a grim feeling in the Welsh Valleys that despair would be forever theirs as England and France racked up big scores, but in the final 30 minutes against the French, there were the first green shoots of recovery for Steve Tandy’s strugglers.
Tandy, to his credit, never asked anyone for patience, nor to be judged on results. Rather, he said that if team performances did not improve each week, then by all means show him the door.
But improve they did. In their next fixture, Scotland stole the spoils with a last-minute smash-and-grab try (26-23). Onward to Dublin for the Welsh, and they gave Ireland a big scare before losing 27-17.
The upward trajectory continued gloriously at the weekend when Italy were dismantled 31-17.
Tandy, once a tough 102-cap flank for the Ospreys, has been excellent in cutting the Wales suit according to the cloth on hand.
His players are not the biggest; most of them are young up-and-comers, and Tandy has tasked them with an off-loading game that suits their talents. Wales traverse the width of the field, playing to their strengths, as they patiently probe the defence.
Tandy has few stars, but he has built his attacking game around the ones he has. His moving of Louis Rees-Zammit from wing to fullback (on his return from American Football) was a masterstroke; and much starter play also centres around Wales’ only British and Irish Lions, scrumhalf Tomos Williams and left wing Josh Adams.
Tandy also gambled at flyhalf on 22-year-old Ospreys flyhalf Dan Edwards, and was repaid handsomely. The tiny Edwards is a real find, and his brilliant drop goal was probably the best moment the Principality Stadium has seen in a decade.
Wales had not won a Six Nations match since 11 March 2023 — there were 15 losses in a row — and they had not won in Cardiff in four years.
They will travel to Durban with some spring in their step, but do they have a chance of emulating their historic defeat of the Boks in Bloemfontein in 2022? Rassie Erasmus treated that match as a depth-building exercise, and we can be sure he will do the same for this fixture.
This will be the World Rugby Player of the Year up against the heartbeat of the Wales team. Captain Lake has been inspirational on and off the field, with his tearful post-match interviews winning affection.
If Lake can get going against the Boks, his teammates will follow.