South Africa are refusing to take Wales lightly ahead of Saturday's clash, with the Springboks coaching staff convinced Steve Tandy's side are making significant strides despite their recent results.
Springboks see progress in Wales
Their analysis has uncovered clear signs of progress, ensuring there will be no complacency from the world champions. The Springboks demolished Wales 73-0 at the Principality Stadium the last time the two sides met in November but they believe Tandy's side have improved hugely.
"I know people are focusing more on their results but us coaches have been analysing them and they are getting better even though results were not showing on the scoreboard," assistant coach Mzwandile Stick said in a round-table conversation with Rassie Erasmus and forwards coach Deon Davids.
"But you could see that this is a team that was on a transition in the sense of getting new players into their system. When it comes to the heart, they've got the heart and I feel like at the moment with their coach, Steve Tandy, I think he's pressing the right buttons. You can never underestimate the fact they are going to be coming to South Africa motivated to perform against the Springboks."
Wales' recent form
Wales beat Fiji in Cardiff to get their Nations Championship campaign off to a strong start before getting comfortably beaten 35-21 by Argentina in San Juan last Saturday. The back-to-back world champions have beaten both England and Scotland in recent weekends and are ranked number one in the world.
They will be without a number of big name players against Wales as head coach Rassie Erasmus looks to blood faces, but they remain overwhelming favourites to smash Tandy's side in Durban.
Coaches' respect for Wales
"Our approach always stays the same that we want to win every Test match," forwards coach Davids told the SARU website. "That will be the same approach against Wales. In our experience of Wales they are people that are willing to work hard as we call it. They will go to dark places to improve themselves but they are desperate to improve. Playing against a desperate team with that work ethic and that character is always a difficult task. We all know they are building. They are a young team that are building. I think in the last couple of games there was definitely a lot of improvement in their game."
Erasmus believes Tandy's side will show plenty of heart this weekend. "For me knowing that from 2018-2019 we could turn it around that makes us always nervous that any team who's not currently doing great can turn it around," said Erasmus. "I just know when I was a player some of the hardest matches I played were against Wales. But we always know there's a heart beating inside them, that always has impressed us like most other countries. I think again that will be the challenge but it will be exciting."
