Grobbelaar predicts full-on battle in Cardiff

Springbok hooker Johan Grobbelaar said the Boks were bracing themselves for a full-on 80-minute battle against Wales at the Principality Stadium on Saturday in their final match of the season and admitted that while many would suggest the visitors would enter the match as favourites, they were wary of the challenge the hosts would pose.

Should the Springboks win the match, they will complete a clean sweep of victories on the Castle Lager Outgoing Tour for the second time in a row but the Bok hooker was careful not to underestimate the Welsh.

“They have some great players and we saw the beautiful tries they scored against the All Blacks,” said Grobbelaar.

“They have a good skillset at the back, a good attacking shape and then obviously they are always a threat under the high ball.

“We’ve learned a bit about the Welsh games in the last few years in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship. So, I’m sure we’ll face some familiar faces on Saturday and we’ll try to make the best of it.”

Grobbelaar added: “On paper, we might be the favourites but knowing the Welsh from the Vodacom URC, they’re a proud nation and they definitely won’t go away.

“It’s going to be a full-on battle for 80 minutes and although they may be missing a few players, the guys replacing them will be quality guys. So, it’s going to be a big game for us.”

Grobbelaar was pleased with how the Boks have performed so far on tour and he stressed that the focus within the team for this match was exactly the same as for all their other encounters so far.

“We’ve had a few big games over the last couple of weeks, which we’ve won, so the team has done really well,” said Grobbelaar.

“This is obviously the last one for the year for us but there won’t be any lack of motivation from the guys. We’ll handle it with the same intensity as any other Test week and we are looking forward to it.

“There may be some new combinations, with a few different guys getting opportunities but everyone is 100% focused on the task at hand.”

The hard-working hooker, however, had no doubt that the team would gel well: “I think what helped us is that we have been training and playing together for the last couple of weeks.

“We’ve been mixing things up and changing the team, so we’ve gotten to know the guys, especially the younger guys who haven’t played a lot, so I’m sure we’ll be ready for the battle.”

Grobbelaar, who has accumulated seven Test caps to date, was delighted to be back in the squad this season: “For the earlier part of the year, I was out of the mix, so to come back in and get the opportunity to play is great. It’s always special to put on the green jersey.”

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus will announce his team for the clash on Thursday.

Meanwhile, Wales head coach Steve Tandy has named his team to face South Africa on Saturday in their fourth and final Nations Series match this November at Principality Stadium.

Aaron Wainwright returns for Wales at No 8, having been withdrawn from the starting XV last week due to injury. Taine Plumtree is named at blindside flanker, and Alex Mann is at openside flanker.

Ben Carter and Rhys Davies pair up in the second row, with both players making their first appearances for Wales this autumn.

In the front row, Gareth Thomas starts at loosehead prop, Keiron Assiratti starts at tighthead prop and captain Dewi Lake is named at hooker.

Kieran Hardy is selected at scrumhalf and Dan Edwards is at flyhalf. Joe Roberts, who was called up for Wales last week, partners Joe Hawkins in the midfield.

Blair Murray continues at fullback with Rio Dyer and Ellis Mee, who joined the Wales squad on Monday, selected on the wings.

Among the replacements, loosehead prop Danny Southworth is in line to make his Wales debut on Saturday with an appearance from the bench.

Brodie Coghlan provides cover at hooker and Christian Coleman provides cover at tighthead prop. James Ratti and Morgan Morse are the other forward replacements. Reuben Morgan-Williams, Callum Sheedy and Ben Thomas are selected as Wales’ back-line replacements for this match.

Tandy said: “What we want to see from the boys (on Saturday) is the same type of effort and performance as we did last weekend. I think we showed a lot of attacking intent, a lot of toughness in the way we went about lots of the defensive effort as well, to give the supporters something to shout about.

“The fans on the weekend were electric. I think the boys really responded to how good the support was.

“When you see the charge, in and around when we score but also when we’re going deep into the defensive set, when they’re chanting ‘Wales’, it’s just something that’s unbelievable and I’d like to thank them for all the support they’ve given the boys. We’re going into the last game, which we’re all excited about. The players love the fact of playing at Principality Stadium in front of the best support in the world.”

On Danny Southworth being in line to make his debut Tandy added: “What’s impressed me about Danny, first of all, was his performances for Cardiff at the start of the year, and then coming into the campaign the way he’s adapted to the detail, the way he’s fitted into the group and brings an energy but he’s also a quality player too.”

Wales starting XV: 15 Blair Murray, 14 Ellis Mee, 13 Joe Roberts, 12 Joe Hawkins, 11 Rio Dyer; 10 Dan Edwards, 9 Kieran Hardy; 8 Aaron Wainwright, 7 Alex Mann, 6 Taine Plumtree; 5 Rhys Davies, 4 Ben Carter; 3 Keiron Assiratti, 2 Dewi Lake, 1 Gareth Thomas. Replacements: 16 Brodie Coghlan, 17 Danny Southworth, 18 Christian Coleman, 19 James Ratti, 20 Morgan Morse, 21 Reuben Morgan-Williams, 22 Callum Sheedy, 23 Ben Thomas.

Springboks v Wales (Principality Stadium, Cardiff) - 5.10pm

Referee: Luc Ramos (FFR)

Assistant Referee 1: Matthew Carley (RFU)

Assistant Referee 2: Pierre Brousset (FFR)

TMO: Eric Gauzins (FFR)

FPRO: Andrew Jackson (RFU)