Preview: South Africa v Wales
Fri, 13 Jun 2008 12:40
Prop power: Beast Mtawarira gets ready for Wales
The Springboks face Wales in the second Test at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria on Saturday, having cruised past the Six Nations champions with a very comfortable 43-17 victory in Bloemfontein last weekend.
The Welsh were rather poor in that first showing, as they lost just about every phase of the match against the world champions to consign head coach Warren Gatland to his first defeat in charge of Wales.
Gatland made no bones this week about the fact that harsh words were spoken after the first Test, as the Wales team simply failed to compete physically or tactically with the Boks.
Gatland is a proud Kiwi and a highly accomplished coach, and his team's capitulation would have angered him. For that reason, the Boks can expect a much stiffer challenge at Loftus, as I'm sure the Welsh will respond to earn that respect they have been talking about for the past few weeks.
The Boks started their international season as if they never stopped playing. On the whole, they looked pretty slick and cohesive, despite new players and fresh combinations getting their first run.
It was a pretty good performance from the Boks, as first games go.
This week, coach Peter de Villiers has rotated his squad, and it looks as if he is trying to give all his core players some game time before the Tri-Nations.
This is a sound idea for two reasons. Firstly, it gives young, talented players like Francois Steyn reinforcement and the encouragement, and lets them know that they have not been discarded.
Secondly, it gives the coach the chance to experiment with different combinations as he fine-tunes the balance of the side.
One phase that the Boks struggled with last week was the scrums. The Welsh front row seemed to get the better of their Bok counterparts, and coach De Villiers has addressed that problem by selecting a very solid-looking front row in BJ Botha, captain John Smit and Tendai 'Beast' Mtawarira.
The Beast had a marvellous Super 14 season, and he fully deserves his chance. BJ Botha is a highly rated scrummager, and nothing needs to be said for the inspirational and powerful John Smit.
Together the front row should provide that stability in the scrums that De Villiers and the Boks are looking for.
The tried-and-tested World Cup-winning lock pairing of Victor Matfield and Bakkies Botha will also be reunited at Loftus, a significant venue for both players.
Botha may have fallen out with management over contracts and French offers, and Matfield has left the Bulls temporarily for Toulon, but Loftus is home to both.
The impressive Andries Bekker moves to the bench to accommodate Matfield, but that should not be seen as a negative. The young Stormer has his whole career in front of him, and will surely play many Tests for the Boks once the current kings of the line-out have moved on.
De Villers has retained the backline from last week, with the exception of scrumhalf, where Ricky Januarie comes into the side after serving his one-match suspension for internal disciplinary reasons.
Januarie will give the Boks even more grunt - the combative No.9 is almost like an extra loose forward at times.
A very different Wales team will run out against the Boks on Saturday. Gatland has predictably rung the changes.
James Hook slots in at fullback, with Jamie Roberts moving to inside centre in place of the injured Sonny Parker.
Gatland said that he wanted to bring Hook's skills into the game in some form or another. Ospreys star Hook is of course a regular flyhalf, but his natural ball-playing ability is better utilised on the field than on the bench.
There are three changes in the Wales forward pack, with Gareth Delve coming onto the back row at the expense of Dafydd Jones. Delve slots in at No.8 while captain Ryan Jones moves to No.6.
Rhys Thomas and Richard Hibbard also slot into the front row, as Wales aim to up the stakes in the physical battles.
Overall, the Springboks can expect a tougher examination from the Welsh this weekend.
The visitors made life easy for the Boks last time round, and they will be keen to leave the Boks a reminder of why they are the Six Nations champions.
Players to watch:
For South Africa: Bok pivot Butch James seems to be getting better and better with time. James not only controlled the first Test effortlessly, but also filled the role of goal-kicker with aplomb, kicking nine goals from nine attempts. He will again be a key in unlocking space for the dangerous Bok centres and wings. It will also be great to see Victor Matfield back in tandem with Bakkies Botha for South Africa in the line-outs. But all eyes will be on Tendai Mtawarira making his Bok debut at loosehead prop - expect many chants of 'Beeeeaaaast' from the crowd every time the bulldozing Sharks man gets close to the action.
For Wales: James Hook has been brought in to provide some spark to the Welsh backline. Hook is a gifted player. Whether he'll get the opportunity to shine remains to be seen. Shane Williams proved last week that he is a world-class finisher on the wing, and his raw pace and step will require serious defensive attention from the Boks. Gareth Delve will be tasked with taking the fight to the South Africans. He'll certainly have his work cut out with Pierre Spies and Juan Smith in the area.
Head to head: In the two front rows, only two players out of six (John Smit and Gethin Jenkins) survive from the first Test. Saturday's front row battle will be a whole new affair, and the sparks could really fly in the scrum. Wales will also bring an added physical threat in midfield. At centre, the 1.91m, 107 kg Jamie Roberts will team up with Tom Shanklin, looking to run hard at the Boks and test the defensive abilities of Adi Jacobs and Jean de Villiers.
Recent results:
2008: South Africa won 43-17, Bloemfontein
2007: South Africa won 34-12, Cardiff
2005: South Africa won 33-16, Cardiff
2004: South Africa won 38-36, Cardiff
2004: South Africa won 53-18, Pretoria
2002: South Africa won 19-8, Cape Town
2002: South Africa won 34-19, Bloemfontein
2000: South Africa won 23-13, Cardiff
1999: Wales won 29-19, Cardiff
1998: South Africa won 28-20, London
1998: South Africa won 96-13, Pretoria
Prediction: Wales will come out all guns blazing, but the Springboks simply pack too much power, pace and all-round quality to be outplayed. Expect the Boks to dominate proceedings at Loftus. Springboks by 15 points.
The teams:
South Africa: 15 Conrad Jantjes, 14 Tonderai Chavhanga, 13 Adrian Jacobs, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Butch James, 9 Ricky Januarie, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Juan Smith, 6 Luke Watson, 5 Victor Matfield, 4 Bakkies Botha, 3 BJ Botha, 2 John Smit (captain), 1 Tendai Mtawarira.
Replacements: 16 Bismarck du Plessis, 17 Gürthro Steenkamp, 18 Andries Bekker, 19 Ryan Kankowski, 20 Bolla Conradie, 21 Francois Steyn, 22 Percy Montgomery.
Wales: 15 James Hook, 14 Mark Jones, 13 Tom Shanklin, 12 Jamie Roberts, 11 Shane Williams, 10 Stephen Jones, 9 Gareth Cooper, 8 Gareth Delve, 7 Jonathan Thomas, 6 Ryan Jones (captain), 5 Alun-Wyn Jones, 4 Ian Gough, 3 Rhys Thomas, 2 Richard Hibbard, 1 Gethin Jenkins.
Replacements: 16 T Rhys Thomas, 17 Duncan Jones, 18 Ian Evans, 19 Dafydd Jones, 20 Warren Fury, 21 Andrew Bishop, 22 Tom
James.
Date: Saturday, June 14
Venue: Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
Kick-off: 15.00 (13.00 GMT)
Conditions: Sunny, light northerly breeze, High 21°C, Low 3°C
Referee: Lyndon Bray (New Zealand)
Touch judges: Dave Pearson (England), Stuart Terheege (England)
Television match official: Graham Hughes (England)
By Phil Coetzer
