Boks ready for Wales battle at Twickenham

The Springboks touched down in London on Thursday morning fresh and ready to get down to business against Wales on Saturday (3pm) in their first Test of the season, and with the time zone being similar to SA, they immediately slotted back into their weekly routine.

With their usual Test match preparation wrapped up in SA before the team’s departure on Wednesday, Springbok assistant coach Mzwandile Stick said they would have a full rest day on Thursday.

“We did all the preparation we had to do back in SA, and we arrived in the UK this morning and will have a full day off as we usually do in a Test week,” Stick said.

“With the team travelling overnight, the guys could sleep well, and the bonus for us is that there is only a one-hour time difference, which means we can stick to our routine going into Saturday’s game. The players will relax a little today and then we have our captain’s run tomorrow [Friday], and hopefully things go well on Saturday.”

Stick was excited to be in London and back in full-out Test match mode, saying: “It’s back to reality being in London. What we achieved last year is history, and now it’s time to build something new. There are a few youngsters in our team that will get an opportunity alongside some of the more experienced players, so it’s going to be an exciting game.

“Wales will also be eager to play against the world champions, so we know it’s going to be a tough game, and that’s exactly what we need to kick-start the season.”

Meanwhile, Rassie Erasmus will start his second stint as the official Springbok head coach against the same opponents and in similar circumstances, meaning at a neutral venue, that he started his first: against Wales, this time in London as opposed to Washington. He will also have the same captain who led the team in his first match in charge in 2018.

Pieter-Steph du Toit stood in for Siya Kolisi, six years ago, and he will fulfil the stand-in role again.

The team Du Toit leads this time is less makeshift than the one that lost by two points then, but that is mainly because Erasmus has now succeeded in the mission he started on that visit to the US capital — he has grown the depth of experience and reestablished the Boks as a major force.

There are four players aside from Du Toit who are in the starting team against Wales at Twickenham on Saturday who played in Washington. The same midfield combination of André Esterhuizen and Jesse Kriel is together all these years later, Makazole Mapimpi is back too having won a World Cup in the interim, and Ox Nche is there too.

Wales have had to make a change in their front row for Saturday’s Test with tighthead prop Henry Thomas ruled out with a foot injury and replaced by Keiron Assiratti. Harri O’Connor comes onto the bench in place of Assiratti.

Wales have also called Bath wing Regan Grace into their wider squad of 38 players, with Keelan Giles released due to a groin injury.

Coach Warren Gatland will reduce the squad to 34 players next week before a trip to Australia where they will play Tests on July 6 and 13. — Additional reporting SuperSport.com, Reuters

Wales squad: Cameron Winnett, Liam Williams, Owen Watkin, Mason Grady, Rio Dyer, Sam Costelow, Ellis Bevan, Aaron Wainwright, James Botham, Taine Plumtree, Ben Carter, Matthew Screech, Kieron Assiratti, Dewi Lake (capt), Gareth Thomas. Replacements: Evan Lloyd, Kemsley Mathias, Harri O’Connor, James Ratti, Mackenzie Martin, Gareth Davies, Eddie James, Jacob Beetham

SA squad: Aphelele Fassi, Edwill van der Merwe, Jesse Kriel, André Esterhuizen, Makazole Mapimpi, Jordan Hendrikse, Faf de Klerk, Evan Roos, Pieter-Steph du Toit (capt), Kwagga Smith, Franco Mostert, Eben Etzebeth, Vincent Koch, Malcolm Marx, Ox Nche. Replacements: Bongi Mbonambi, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Frans Malherbe, Salmaan Moerat, Ben-Jason Dixon, Grant Williams, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Damian de Allende