Boks by the numbers
We look at some stats regarding the Springbok team to play Wales on Saturday.
The Springbok starting team boasts a total of 667 Test caps (447 in the backline and 220 in the forwards), while there are a further 185 caps worth of experience on the bench.
South Africa and Wales last met on 11 September, 2011 at the Wellington Regional Stadium in Wellington during the pool stage of the World Cup. The Springboks beat Wales narrowly by 17-16 thanks to a late try by Francois Hougaard, converted by Morné Steyn.
Jean de Villiers will extend his record as the most-capped Springbok centre, with 78 Tests in this position. He will also be the captain for the 22nd time in a row and will draw level with Dawie de Villiers in fourth place on the list of Springbok captains, behind John Smit (83), Gary Teichmann (36) and Francois Pienaar (29).
Bryan Habana will extend his record as the most-capped Springbok wing, with 91 Tests in this position and if he scores a try, will extend his record of 53 Test tries for South Africa.
Morné Steyn will extend his record as the most-capped Springbok flyhalf, with 50 Tests in this position. If he scores a try, he will also extend his record of seven Test tries as a flyhalf for South Africa.
Should he score, Bismarck du Plessis will extend his record of eight Test tries for South Africa as a hooker.
If he takes to the field and scores a try, Gurthrö Steenkamp will extend his own record of six tries as a prop for South Africa.
Jaque Fourie last played for South Africa against Australia in the quarterfinal of the 2011 World Cup in New Zealand. If he scores a try he will extend his record of 28 Test tries for South Africa as a centre.
If he takes to the field Pieter-Steph du Toit will become the second Springbok whose grandfather also played for South Africa. His grandfather Piet (Spiere) du Toit played 14 Tests for SA from 1958 to 1961, including the 1960 test match against Wales in Cardiff, which the Springboks won 3-0. Francois Louw’s grandfather Jan Pickard played four Tests for SA from 1956-1958.
The referee is Alain Rolland of Ireland. This will be his 17th Test involving South Africa, which is the record for an international referee in South African Test matches. The Springboks have won nine and lost seven of these encounters. His last game was the test against New Zealand on 6 October, 2012 at the FNB Stadium in Soweto, when the Boks lost 16-32. (Rolland was scheduled to handle the game between South Africa and Australia in Brisbane on 7 September this year, but due to an injury he had to withdraw and was replaced by George Clancy.)
Springbok Test match records in Cardiff:
Most points: 23 (1 try, 3 cons, 4 pens) by Percy Montgomery on 6 November, 2004 against Wales.
Most tries: Three by Joost van der Westhuizen on 15 December, 1996 against Wales.
Most conversions: Three by Percy Montgomery on 6 November, 2004 against Wales and by Andre Pretorius on 24 November, 2007 against Wales.
Most penalties: Five by Morné Steyn on 13 November, 2010 against Wales.
Most drop goals: Two by Percy Montgomery on 4 November, 1999 against New Zealand.
The Springboks and Wales have played 15 times in Cardiff since 1912 with the Boks winning 13, losing one (19-29 in 1999) and drawing one (6-6 in 1970). The last game between the two countries was in 2010, with the Boks winning 29-25.
The Boks have scored 327 points (35 tries) against 236 points (18 tries) for an average of 22-16.
