Century-old rivalry renewed between Boks and Wales
SPOTLIGHT: When Wales welcome South Africa to the Principality Stadium in Cardiff on Saturday, it will mark the 44th meeting between the two nations, a rivalry stretching back to their first clash in 1906.
It is the last stop for South Africa on their end-of-year tour, with the Prince William Cup once again up for grabs. Their most recent showdown ended in a comprehensive 45-12 victory for the Springboks during last year’s November test.
Going down by 33 points to South Africa, it was the worst beating Wales had ever had from the Springboks in a home game. It was their 12th straight defeat, at the end of a year in which they had lost every single match they had played.
Across 43 encounters, South Africa have won 35, Wales seven, with one match ending in a draw. The Springboks took the inaugural meeting 11-0 in 1906 and dominated the fixture for decades, winning the first 12 clashes.
Wales celebrated their first-ever victory over the Boks in 1999 at the opening of the Millennium Stadium (now Principality). Still, South Africa responded with another 16 consecutive wins.
It wasn’t until 2014 that Wales tasted victory again, beating South Africa 12–6 in Cardiff and sparking their most competitive period in this rivalry, winning five of the next six matches.
In 2022, Wales made history with a first-ever win on South African soil when they beat the Springboks 13-12.
Biggest Springbok win
1998: 96-13 (Loftus Versfeld) – the highest score South Africa ever recorded against Wales.
Rugby World Cup meetings
Although the sides did not meet at a World Cup until 2011, they went on to face each other in three consecutive tournaments. South Africa won all three by margins of four points or fewer – tight, bruising contests typical of this matchup.
Recent results
Their most recent fixture on neutral ground saw the Springboks overpower Wales 41-13 at Twickenham on June 22, 2024.
2024 Teams:
Wales: 15 Blair Murray, 14 Tom Rogers, 13 Max Llewellyn, 12 Ben Thomas, 11 Rio Dyer, 10 Sam Costelow, 9 Ellis Bevan, 8 Taine Plumtree, 7 Jac Morgan, 6 James Botham, 5 Will Rowlands, 4 Christ Tshiunza, 3 Gareth Thomas, 2 Dewi Lake (captain), 1 Archie Griffin
Replacements: 16 Ryan Elias, 17 Nicky Smith, 18 Keiron Assiratti, 19 Freddie Thomas, 20 Tommy Reffell, 21 Rhodri Williams, 22 Eddie James, 23 Josh Hathaway
South Africa: 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jesse Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Jordan Hendrikse, 9 Jaden Hendrikse, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Pieter-Steph du Toit, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Jean Kleyn, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Thomas du Toit
Replacements: 16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Eben Etzebeth, 20 RG Snyman, 21 Cameron Hanekom, 22 Cobus Reinach, 23 Handre Pollard
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