Wales head coach Steve Tandy has been forced to make some quick adjustments to his squad, calling up four new players after losing a significant portion of his team to club commitments. The upcoming clash with South Africa sees both teams grappling with limited player availability, as the match does not fall within World Rugby's international window.
The Welsh side will be without Adam Beard, Rhys Carre, Olly Cracknell, Archie Griffin, Nicky Smith, Dafydd Jenkins, Freddie Thomas, Tomos Williams, Jarrod Evans, Louie Hennessey, Max Llewellyn, Nick Tompkins, and Louis Rees-Zammit. To fill these gaps, James Ratti, Garyn Phillips (uncapped), Ellis Mee, and Evan Lloyd have been drafted into the squad. Additionally, there's an injury concern with hooker Liam Belcher sidelined due to a neck injury, though there is optimism surrounding the return of number eight Aaron Wainwright for the final match of the year.
On the South African front, head coach Rassie Erasmus is also navigating through similar challenges.
"We are going to lose quite a few players,"
Erasmus revealed, highlighting the temporary reduction to a 25-player training group due to club and provincial commitments. The Springboks, however, come into the match buoyed by a successful string of international victories and a recent Rugby Championship title.
Despite their challenges, Wales aims to build on their recent victory over Japan, a much-needed win after heavy defeats to Argentina and New Zealand. The South African team, on the other hand, remains a heavy favorite, continuing their strong performance streak with wins against Japan, France, Italy, and Ireland this month.
"We have spoken to our URC friends back in South Africa, and some players need to go back to their provinces, so we will train next week with only 25 players in the group,"
Erasmus added, acknowledging the support from Japanese clubs for allowing player participation in the crucial matches.
Wales squad for Springboks clash:
Forwards: Gareth Thomas (Ospreys), Danny Southworth (Cardiff), Garyn Phillips (Ospreys), Dewi Lake (Ospreys, capt), Evan Lloyd (Cardiff), Brodie Coghlan (Dragons), Keiron Assiratti (Cardiff), Christian Coleman (Dragons), Ben Warren (Ospreys), Ben Carter (Dragons), Rhys Davies (Ospreys), James Fender (Ospreys), James Ratti (Ospreys), Taine Plumtree (Scarlets), Alex Mann (Cardiff), Aaron Wainwright (Dragons), Morgan Morse (Ospreys), Harri Deaves (Ospreys)
Backs: Kieran Hardy (Ospreys), Reuben Morgan-Williams (Ospreys), Dan Edwards (Ospreys), Callum Sheedy (Cardiff), Joe Hawkins (Scarlets), Ben Thomas (Cardiff), Joe Roberts (Scarlets), Jacob Beetham (Cardiff), Rio Dyer (Dragons), Blair Murray (Scarlets), Tom Rogers (Scarlets), Ellis Mee (Scarlets)
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Wales head coach Steve Tandy has been forced to make some quick adjustments to his squad, calling up four new players after losing a significant portion of his team to club commitments. The upcoming clash with South Africa sees both teams grappling with limited player availability, as the match does not fall within World Rugby's international window.
The Welsh side will be without Adam Beard, Rhys Carre, Olly Cracknell, Archie Griffin, Nicky Smith, Dafydd Jenkins, Freddie Thomas, Tomos Williams, Jarrod Evans, Louie Hennessey, Max Llewellyn, Nick Tompkins, and Louis Rees-Zammit. To fill these gaps, James Ratti, Garyn Phillips (uncapped), Ellis Mee, and Evan Lloyd have been drafted into the squad. Additionally, there's an injury concern with hooker Liam Belcher sidelined due to a neck injury, though there is optimism surrounding the return of number eight Aaron Wainwright for the final match of the year.
On the South African front, head coach Rassie Erasmus is also navigating through similar challenges.
"We are going to lose quite a few players,"
Erasmus revealed, highlighting the temporary reduction to a 25-player training group due to club and provincial commitments. The Springboks, however, come into the match buoyed by a successful string of international victories and a recent Rugby Championship title.Despite their challenges, Wales aims to build on their recent victory over Japan, a much-needed win after heavy defeats to Argentina and New Zealand. The South African team, on the other hand, remains a heavy favorite, continuing their strong performance streak with wins against Japan, France, Italy, and Ireland this month.
"We have spoken to our URC friends back in South Africa, and some players need to go back to their provinces, so we will train next week with only 25 players in the group,"
Erasmus added, acknowledging the support from Japanese clubs for allowing player participation in the crucial matches.Wales squad for Springboks clash:
Forwards: Gareth Thomas (Ospreys), Danny Southworth (Cardiff), Garyn Phillips (Ospreys), Dewi Lake (Ospreys, capt), Evan Lloyd (Cardiff), Brodie Coghlan (Dragons), Keiron Assiratti (Cardiff), Christian Coleman (Dragons), Ben Warren (Ospreys), Ben Carter (Dragons), Rhys Davies (Ospreys), James Fender (Ospreys), James Ratti (Ospreys), Taine Plumtree (Scarlets), Alex Mann (Cardiff), Aaron Wainwright (Dragons), Morgan Morse (Ospreys), Harri Deaves (Ospreys)
Backs: Kieran Hardy (Ospreys), Reuben Morgan-Williams (Ospreys), Dan Edwards (Ospreys), Callum Sheedy (Cardiff), Joe Hawkins (Scarlets), Ben Thomas (Cardiff), Joe Roberts (Scarlets), Jacob Beetham (Cardiff), Rio Dyer (Dragons), Blair Murray (Scarlets), Tom Rogers (Scarlets), Ellis Mee (Scarlets)