Jean de Villiers - Playing Wales is not a big game for Springboks
Jean de Villiers downplayed the significance of the Springboks’ match against Wales, viewing it as an opportunity for fringe players to gain experience outside the official Test match window. Picture: Ryan Wilkisky/BackpagePix
Image: Ryan Wilkisky/BackpagePix
As a host of Springboks players have already left the squad to join their clubs, Saturday’s match against Wales in Cardiff is ‘not a big game’ for the world champions according to Jean de Villiers.
As the former Bok captain points out, the match against Wales is not an official Test match - with only three weeks in November specifically allocated for the big matches.
The Springboks have already played and beaten Japan, France, Italy, and Ireland over the last four weeks.
Now, they take on the 11th-ranked Wales without 12 first-choice players as the match serves as something of an anti-climax to what has been an incredible month for the Springboks.
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“With all due respect, I don’t think you can classify the Wales game as a big game. If I’m not mistaken, it’s out of the Test match window as well, so selection-wise might be a bit different for us,” said De Villiers.
“But it’ll be a big one for Wales. We’ve got everything to lose in that game where Wales have really struggled, and if they put up a good performance against us, we will be the ones under pressure because we’ve got everything to lose.”
The Springboks already fielded something more of a fringe squad against Italy earlier on their November tour, and managed to grind out an impressive victory with 14 men for 68 minutes of the encounter.
“I think it provides an opportunity for a lot of, if you want to call it fringe players and youngsters coming through to show that they can play in the Northern Hemisphere, they can play on tour, they can stand their ground at international level, and they can show that they are good enough to potentially go to World Cup 2027.
“So the only way that you build experience is by playing more Test matches, and I think those two games [Italy and Wales] are certainly ideal situations to do that and to get more Test matches under the belt of the younger guys.”