Wales vs. South Africa: Springboks eyeing up clean sweep in Autumn Nations Series
by Devesh Jaganath | by Devesh Jaganath
South Africa look to end year on a high in Cardiff
South Africa head to Cardiff on Saturday looking to cap off their Autumn Nations Series by securing a clean sweep, while Wales are hoping to pull off one of the unlikeliest victories of the year-end Internationals.
Our expert’s rugby predictions, which support what most fans across the globe expect, suggest that Steve Tandy’s side is set for a daunting task this weekend, having to face the out-and-out most formidable team in world rugby today.
The Springboks have been on an absolute tear this month and enter this match still riding high off the back of one of the most dominant performances we’ve ever seen at the Aviva Stadium last week, where they secured their first victory over Ireland in Dublin in over a decade.
Following their triumph in Dublin last week, the World Champions moved to 93.94 points in the World Rugby rankings, 3.61 points ahead of the All Blacks in second place. Thus, even if Wales can upset the betting odds here, Rassie Erasmus’ side will still end the year at the summit of the standings.
In contrast, on the very same day, the Dragons were hammered 52-26 by New Zealand here in Cardiff, shipping 50+ points for the second time in three games this month, having gone down 52-28 to Argentina on November 9.
Since the 2023 World Cup, Wales have only won two Tests, both against tier-two Japan, while South Africa have already racked up 11 wins in 2025 alone, and a victory at the Principality this weekend will take them to their second-most wins recorded in a calendar year.
Erasmus names formidable lineup despite several absentees
With this match falling outside the international window, there has been considerable criticism directed toward the Welsh Rugby Union for scheduling the fixture, with many suggesting that it is a purely commercially driven decision.
Due to club commitments, both teams are missing several key players. The hosts will be without the likes of Dafydd Jenkins and Tomos Williams, while the visitors will be unable to call upon Cheslin Kolbe, among others.
Despite making nine changes to the squad that faced Ireland, South Africa’s squad for this fixture is still worthy of being able to compete against the best in the world, once again underlining the strength in depth Erasmus has at his disposal.
The headline is Cobus Reinach set to make his 50th appearance for the Green and Gold, while Gerhard Steenekamp and Johan Grobbelaar have been handed their first start for the world champions. Siya Kolisi will once again lead the team in Cardiff.
Wales, on the other hand, have made a massive 12 changes from the team that were hammered by the All Blacks last week, owing heavily to the fact that several regulars have returned to their clubs for the Gallagher Premiership and Top 14.
Wales Squad vs. South Africa
Wales: 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 (c), 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
South Africa Squad vs. Wales
South Africa: 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Ethan Hooker, 13 Damian de Allende, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Canan Moodie, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Morne van den Berg, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Franco Mostert, 6 Siya Kolisi (c), 5 Ruan Nortje, 4 Jean Kleyn, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Gerhard Steenekamp
Replacements: 16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Zachary Porthen, 18 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 19 Eben Etzebeth, 20 Marco van Staden, 21 Ben-Jason Dixon, 22 Kwagga Smith, 23 Cobus Reinach
Wales vs. South Africa: Match Details
Date: Saturday, November 29
Time: 15:10 GMT (17:10 SAST)
Venue: Principality Stadium, Cardiff
Live Coverage: TNT Sports (UK), SuperSport (RSA), or via our rugby livescores
Referee: Luc Ramos (FFR)
Assistant Referees: Matthew Carley (RFU), Pierre Brousset (FFR)
