Rassie Erasmus has warned Wales to expect a very different South Africa side when the two teams meet in Durban next weekend, with the Springboks boss poised to recall a host of World Cup winners.
The back-to-back world champions beat Scotland 42-28 in Pretoria on Saturday despite fielding a much-changed side featuring several inexperienced players. But after seeing his experimental selection come through another stern test, Erasmus has made it clear many of his biggest names are now in line to return against Steve Tandy's side.
Springboks stars set for recall
The Springboks have yet to call upon stars including Siya Kolisi, Eben Etzebeth, Lood de Jager, Franco Mostert, Cobus Reinach and Damian de Allende during this month's Nations Championship fixtures, while exciting fly-half Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu is also edging closer to a comeback. Erasmus suggested Wales could now face a side packed with vastly more Test experience.
"It's a bit of a combination," he said when asked about his selection plans. "We'll probably pick some experienced players. You walk out today and you see Ox, Malcolm Marx, Siya, Eben, Lood, Franco, Cobus Reinach, Damian de Allende, Cheslin Kolbe, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Canan Moodie and you think of Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu. There are players coming back like Morne van den Berg. We were taking a chance today, not because the guys are not good enough but because they haven't played together. So next week we'll probably have some guys who return to fitness."
Wales face uphill battle
Wales head to South Africa on the back of a 35-21 defeat to Argentina in San Juan, while the Springboks have already overcome England and Scotland this month. Erasmus also admitted he wants South Africa to have the advantage in experience when they run out against Wales. "It will be a combination of guys coming back from injury and making sure we have more caps than our opposition when we run onto a field because today we were totally outdone by caps and experience," he added.
Erasmus also explained that Canan Moodie had been withdrawn before kick-off after struggling with illness and a minor hamstring problem, but expects him to be available for the Wales clash. Meanwhile, Feinberg-Mngomezulu is set to return to the Springboks squad in the coming weeks, although Erasmus suggested the talented playmaker is more likely to feature later in the Rugby Championship. With Kolisi, Etzebeth and several other senior stars also closing in on full fitness, Wales now appear set to face South Africa at something close to full strength in Durban next Saturday.
Wales need to improve physicality says skipper
Wales captain Dewi Lake believes they need to improve their physicality before facing South Africa in Durban next weekend. Steve Tandy's side slipped to a 35-21 defeat to Argentina in San Juan with the Pumas pack on top for large periods of the game. Lake believes that is an area they came up short in. "We started well and we scored first but maybe we dropped off a bit physically," Lake told S4C after the game. "They beat us in that battle but ultimately there was too much to do in the end."
Wales fell off too many tackles but Lake insists it is nothing to do with the side's defensive structure. "I don't think the system is the problem," he told S4C. "I think it's that physical piece. We dropped off too many tackles. The system is fine but we need to work harder and faster."
Eddie Jones tells Steve Borthwick to bench Henry Pollock
Eddie Jones has urged Steve Borthwick to resist starting Henry Pollock against Argentina despite the youngster's hat-trick in the 73-8 victory over Fiji. The England backrower is one of the most talked-about players in rugby union but has predominantly been used as an impact sub by his country. There is a public clamour to start Pollock but former England boss Jones does not believe that would be the correct course of action for now.
"There's no doubt Henry Pollock has something special about him," wrote Jones in his MailOnline column. "He's going to be a fantastic player for England's long-term future. To me, Pollock is a hybrid player. He's got the pace of a winger, the footwork of a centre and the ability as a back-row to win breakdown penalties by getting over the ball. He can do it all and that's invaluable. Clearly, he's in exceptional form right now too."
"That was shown once again when he came off the bench to score a second-half hat-trick against Fiji in England's 73-8 hammering of the Pacific Islanders in Liverpool. It will only serve to increase the clamour for Pollock to start at international level, but I think the English rugby public needs to be careful with him. He's a player of such talent that there's no need to rush him. He's still only 21 and needs to be managed sensibly."
Jones says Pollock must be managed carefully if he is to fulfil his potential. "There's a lot of hype about Pollock and rightly so, but I've seen this before in English rugby and it's really important he's not built up so high that he doesn't fulfil his potential," wrote Jones. "That happened in my time as coach with Marcus Smith. Before him, it was Danny Cipriani. I don't think Cipriani achieved what he was capable of. Smith is still in the England set-up, but there's not as much written about him now although I don't think he's been helped by playing full-back. Pollock's time to be a regular starter will come. I think he can look at Ardie Savea for inspiration. Savea is now New Zealand captain and one of the best back-rows in the world."
Scotland suffer injury blow
Scotland second-row Alex Samuel is facing a lengthy period on the sidelines after Gregor Townsend revealed he will need surgery on the knee injury which resulted in him withdrawing from the squad that lost to South Africa. The Glasgow Warriors lock was initially named on the bench in Pretoria but was ruled out before kick-off. As a result Samuel will miss Scotland's Nations Championship clash with Fiji at Murrayfield next weekend.
"Alex Samuel will be getting surgery next week when he comes back, so he'll be out for a number of weeks," said Townsend. "It's really unfortunate for him, he was due to be on the bench. But I have to say, Max Williamson stepped up today, came off the bench, made a big impact, and I felt Gregor Brown and Scott Cummings went really well as a second-row pairing. So yeah, disappointing that Alex didn't get the opportunity, and he played well last week, he's had a great season for Glasgow, and he'll definitely be in the mix at Test level when he comes back from that knee injury."
There are also doubts surrounding backrower Rory Darge. "Rory Darge obviously failed in HIA," said Townsend. "There was a lot of cramp with a few guys. Ben White had 80 minutes which is a huge effort, the way we play and what we demand of our scrum-half. And there was others, obviously Jack Dempsey playing 80. But yeah, I don't think we have anything serious [in terms of other injuries]."
