Dragons hooker Elliot Dee is set to fly out to South Africa today to provide Steve Tandy with cover ahead of the match with the Springboks. Captain Dewi Lake limped off in the second-half of the 35-31 defeat to Argentina in San Juan on Saturday, leaving Tandy to assess his skipper's fitness as they travel to Durban.
Injury Assessment Underway
As things stand, nothing has been announced on Gloucester-bound Lake's fitness. "The boys are having treatment so we'll have probably more of an idea in the next 24 hours," said Tandy after Saturday's match. Were Lake to miss out, Jac Morgan would be the obvious candidate to captain Wales against South Africa.
Hooker Options and Dee's Recall
Ryan Elias and Evan Lloyd are Wales' other hookers in their Nations Championship squad. However, they are set to bolster their playing pool by bringing Dee out. The Dragons hooker, who has 55 caps for Wales, was a surprise omission from Wales' extended 48-man squad earlier this summer after an impressive season at Rodney Parade.
Dee had played a crucial role in the Men of Gwent's run to the Challenge Cup semi-final, with the 32-year-old looking back to his best. After missing out on selection, Dee headed out to South Africa last month to feature for the Barbarians against the Springboks. A week later, he would start for the Baa-Baas against Wales in London.
Pecking Order and Changes Expected
Dee's last appearance for Wales was against England at the end of the 2025 Six Nations. Since then, Liam Belcher has moved ahead of him in the pecking order. The Cardiff captain was the fourth hooker in Tandy's extended squad, but was ruled out with injury just before the Barbarians match.
Tandy had not ruled out calling up players straight to South Africa, given the arduous travel demands on Wales' players in the past week. He has also promised some changes following the defeat to Argentina. "Everyone might not get a chance but we'll definitely make some changes from the game," said Tandy. "It's a lot of travel and it was very physical playing against Fiji and Barbarians as well. We'll assess everyone to see how they pull up and make a decision on the team."
