Wales v Springboks: Five team selection talking points

Ahead of the Rugby World Cup warm-up match between Wales and South Africa in Cardiff, here are our five talking points from the two teams selected.

For Wales, the clash allows a host of players to stake one final claim to make Warren Gatland’s final 33 for the Rugby World Cup.

Meanwhile, with the Springboks’ squad confirmed for the tournament, players have their chance to push their case for a starting role and get back to full fitness.

Siya Kolisi’s miraculous recovery

On getting back to full fitness, few have had a miraculous recovery quite as remarkable as Springboks captain Siya Kolisi.

Saturday’s match will mark just 119 days from the United Rugby Championship encounter with Munster when Kolisi suffered a partial anterior cruciate ligament tear in his knee.

At that stage, his hopes of leading his country out in a second Rugby World Cup looked all but over.

Usually, this kind of injury would keep a player sidelined for six to nine months. But not Kolisi. The flanker underwent surgery – performed by the same doctor that got Pieter-Steph du Toit ready for the 2019 Rugby World Cup – to give him a chance of featuring in the tournament, and he has made the most of that chance.

His recovery has been dubbed a medical miracle, and rightly so.

While his rapid return is a massive boost for the Springboks and their bid to defend their title, one shouldn’t expect Kolisi to be back to his best right away against Wales.

On form, Kolisi is one of the finest back-rows in world rugby, but he will certainly need to get some minutes under his belt, and whilst he may just come steaming out the blocks, he should be afforded some leeway when judging his performance.

The fact that he has gotten to this point in such a short time is mind-blowing, and any hint of the form he showcased before his injury will be a tremendous positive for the Boks.

Inexperience v experience centre battle

Gatland has picked Johnny Williams and Mason Grady in his midfield for the clash in Cardiff, with the pair boasting a combined Test cap tally of just eight.

Conversely, Damian de Allende (72 caps) and Jesse Kriel (61 caps) earn their 23rd start together in Green and Gold.

The two combinations named will give their respective coaches plenty of answers as the World Cup draws near.

For Gatland, who names his squad on Monday next week, he will get a clear idea of whether Williams and Grady are up to the challenge of the World Cup. Williams provides Wales with another playmaking option at number 12, but he will need to front up to the physical challenge the world-class De Allende possesses. As for his centre partner, Grady, the youngster shows all the signs of a future superstar but is 2023 too soon for him? And if he is not ready for the challenges an international outside centre faces, could he still be an asset on the wing?

As for the Boks, Jacques Nienaber will be eager to see if his centre pairing can make the most of their attacking threats throughout the backline. South Africa have some serious firepower in wingers Cheslin Kolbe and Canan Moodie, and getting the best out of them will be essential.

The midfield duo are staunch defenders and a handful when carrying the ball over the gain line, but there are still doubts over whether their partnership can get the best out of the rest of the backline and with Lukhanyo Am injured, they will need to prove they can.

Can Manie Libbok make the step up against veteran Dan Biggar?

Manie Libbok earns his fourth start for the Springboks on Saturday, and third in a row, as he continues to build Test experience, which will be pivotal at the World Cup after Handre Pollard’s injury.

Libbok’s goal-kicking has come under the spotlight, and with Wales versus South Africa usually producing closely-fought encounters, he has an opportunity to put those concerns to bed.

The talented Stormers playmaker faces a stern test with the experienced Dan Biggar, his opponent.

Biggar has come off the bench in Wales’ two previous warm-up matches, and while the second ended in defeat, Gatland’s side looked far sharper with him driving their attack and kicking tactics.

If Libbok is able to come out on top against Biggar, winning the kicking duels while being accurate off the tee and steering the attack in tandem with Willie le Roux, then the starting number 10 jersey is surely his to lose going forward.

He has his opportunity this week, with Damian Willemse likely to get his against New Zealand.

In the same breath, Biggar has his chance to nail down the starting role and reproduce the form he showed in his two cameo off the bench.

Last chance to impress Warren Gatland

As mentioned previously, Gatland will name his squad on the Monday following the clash with the Boks.

While the experienced head coach will have a pretty clear idea about most of his 33-man squad, there is an opportunity to change his mind.

Centres Williams and Grady are square in that category of players who still have an outside chance, while props Corey Domachowski and Keiron Assiratti have a massive opportunity to stake their claim against the imposing Springbok front-row.

Jac Morgan also has the chance to secure the captain’s armband for the tournament, with the likes of Taine Basham, Henry Thomas, Teddy Williams, Max Llewellyn, and Cai Evans could get cameos in the latter stages to prove their worth.

Bok scrum-half battle heats up

Scrum-half is easily one of the most hotly contested positions in the Springboks squad at the moment, considering there are four of them in the 33-man squad!

This weekend, Jaden Hendrikse gets his first start of the year, after injury and the death of his father saw him miss the Rugby Championship.

The coaching staff highly rates the 23-year-old highly, and he has the chance to reclaim the starting role, which he held for four consecutive Tests last year.

Also getting another shot is Hendrikse’s room-mate, Grant Williams, whose first Test start for the Boks was cut short in the opening minute of the clash against Argentina in Johannesburg.

The rapid number nine will have to deal with a cameo off the bench this time around, but if Wales are not awake to the threat he poses around the fringes, they will pay dearly.