South Africa – whose loss to Italy makes Wales’ squeaky victory over Japan look like a confidence-booster – are set to make major changes for Saturday’s Test in Cardiff.
Springboks coach Allister Coetzee has revealed he intends to give opportunities to others after their 20-18 defeat in Florence, which could well be his penultimate match in charge.
The Boks have dropped out of the top four of the world rankings and another defeat will mean they will not be among the top four seeds when the 2019 World Cup draw is held next year.
Coetzee said: “We did not get the result we wanted against Italy so I have to re-think.
“I have to give opportunities now to other players. There are other young players who have worked really hard in training on this tour but haven’t played as yet. They deserve a chance and I am going to try and get them that opportunity against Wales.
“I want to use that match to look at the future so we know where we are next year. We want to finish on a high. It has been a disappointing year for us and the defeat against Italy was a real low, but all we can do now is try and resurrect some pride by playing really well against Wales so at least we can end the year on a positive note.”
Wales defence coach Shaun Edwards has responded to criticism that followed the Japan match by stressing that it was a victory and that it followed another win the week before over Argentina.
Edwards’ point was his critics cannot have it both ways. If he is told it is all about winning after Wales lose narrowly to the top nations, then the same should apply when they narrowly beat the smaller ones.
But Coetzee does not even have that fig leaf. South Africa have lost seven of 11 Tests this year, equalling their record for the most defeats in a season since returning to international rugby in 1992.
These include a record 57-15 defeat by New Zealand, the team that for much of their history they have challenged as the world’s best, and a first home loss to Ireland.
The Springboks hit a new low on Saturday as they suffered a maiden defeat by Italy. It was the first time the Azzurri had beaten their opponents in 13 attempts.
“It’s been a tough year and I can take responsibility for a lot of things,” added Coetzee after his squad arrived in Cardiff.
“But I only got started in April and there are challenges in South African rugby that are unique to us.
“There’s no excuse for the poor performance, but there are discussions happening and it is looking really positive.
“This is a great opportunity to address the problems and clean out the wounds. We need to diagnose and treat the symptoms of it.
“In the 21 years since our World Cup win in 1995 we’ve only had four good years, and if we continue what we’ve been doing you’re not going to see any different result.
Highly-rated second row Eben Etzebeth will miss the Test after suffering concussion during the defeat by England at Twickenham two weeks ago.
