There are no comments.
Wales’ Dan Lydia (C) and Luke Charteris (R) during a training session yesterday. (Reuters)
Reuters
London
South Africa and Wales are preparing for a struggle up front in what each believes will be a forward-dominated battle in their Rugby World Cup quarter-final at Twickenham tomorrow.
The Springboks have conceded just a single try in their last three matches, while Wales allowed only two against them in their entire pool campaign.
South Africa coach Heyneke Meyer believes the game will be won or lost in the final 20 minutes and that in the end it will come down to who forces the most penalty mistakes out of the opposition.
“We are expecting an arm-wrestle right until the end,” Meyer told reporters. “We’re playing against a well-balanced side that always likes to mix things up when it comes to physicality.
“They have a good set piece and some strong ball carriers up front and in the back.”
Meyer has made just a single change to his starting XV from the side that routed the USA 64-0 in their final Pool B match last week, with in-form wing JP Pietersen returning from injury to replace Lwazi Mvovo.
His bench is packed with experience as well, primed to come on in the closing stages and bring calm heads to what is expected to be a frenzied finish. Wales have made three changes to their team with centre Tyler Morgan, prop Gethin Jenkins and flank Dan Lydiate all returning to the side.
“The physicality and intensity of the matches so far will stand us in good stead for what is going to be a huge battle against the Springboks,” Wales coach Warren Gatland said yesterday. “They have grown game on game in this tournament and we know the challenge that faces us from a talented South African side.”
The Boks have a dominant 27-2 win record against Wales, with one game drawn, but the second of those victories for the European side came at the end of last year when they triumphed 12-6 in Cardiff.
The South African side were depleted on that occasion as the fixture fell outside of the World Rugby match window, leaving them without their overseas-based players. But it should still be a source of confidence for Wales that in a tight tussle against a physical South African team, it was they who won the day. The winner will take on either New Zealand or France in the semi-finals.
Teams
South Africa: 1-Tendai Mtawarira, 2-Bismarck du Plessis, 3-Frans Malherbe, 4-Eben Etzebeth, 5-Lood de Jager, 6-Francois Louw, 7-Schalk Burger, 8-Duane Vermeulen, 9-Fourie du Preez (captain), 10-Handre Pollard, 11-Bryan Habana, 12-Damian de Allende, 13-Jesse Kriel, 14-JP Pietersen, 15-Willie le Roux. Replacements: 16-Adriaan Strauss, 17-Trevor Nyakane, 18-Jannie du Plessis, 19-Pieter-Steph du Toit, 20-Willem Alberts, 21-Ruan Pienaar, 22-Pat Lambie, 23-Jan Serfontein. Wales: 1-Gethin Jenkins, 2-Scott Baldwin, 3-Samson Lee, 4-Luke Charteris, 5-Alun Wyn Jones, 6-Dan Lydiate, 7-Sam Warburton (captain), 8-Taulupe Faletau; 9-Gareth Davies, 10-Dan Biggar, 11-George North, 12-Jamie Roberts, 13-Tyler Morgan, 14-Alex Cuthbert 15-Gareth Anscombe. Replacements: 16-Ken Owens, 17-Paul James, 18-Tomas Francis, 19-Bradley Davies, 20-Justin Tipuric, 21-Lloyd Williams, 22-Rhys Priestland, 23-James Hook. Referee: Wayne Barnes (England).
There are no comments.
Saying goodbye is never easy, especially when you are saying farewell to those that have left a positive impression. That was the case earlier this month when Canada hosted Mexico in a friendly at BC Place stadium in Vancouver.
Some 60mn primary-school-age children have no access to formal education
Lekhwiya’s El Arabi scores the equaliser after Tresor is sent off; Tabata, al-Harazi score for QSL champions
The Yemeni Minister of Tourism, Dr Mohamed Abdul Majid Qubati, yesterday expressed hope that the 48-hour ceasefire in Yemen declared by the Command of Coalition Forces on Saturday will be maintained in order to lift the siege imposed on Taz City and ease the entry of humanitarian aid to the besieged
Some 200 teachers from schools across the country attended Qatar Museum’s (QM) first ever Teachers Council at the Museum of Islamic Art (MIA) yesterday.
The Supreme Judiciary Council (SJC) of Qatar and the Indonesian Supreme Court (SCI) have signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on judicial co-operation, it was announced yesterday.
Sri Lanka is keen on importing liquefied natural gas (LNG) from Qatar as part of government policy to shift to clean energy, Minister of City Planning and Water Supply Rauff Hakeem has said.