it is about redemption for the awful Tri-Nations

MIKE GREENAWAY IN CARDIFF
There has been a common voice from the Springbok players regarding the primary purpose of this tour. It is not about World Cup preparation, they have said in unison, it is about redemption for the awful Tri-Nations, and a Grand Slam result would assuage their wounded pride and restore public confidence in them.
They are right, and they will know that beating Wales tomorrow at the Millennium Stadium will set them up for a very good shot at winning South Africa’s first Slam since 1965.
If this sounds like we are getting ahead of ourselves, consider this: the Boks have done the initial hard work by successfully negotiating a very tricky opening fixture against Ireland, and Scotland next week is a match a correctly focussed Springbok team ought to win (and if they beat Wales they surely will be in the right mood to make it three out of three) and that would set up a grand finale against England.
This Wales fixture holds the key to the Springboks’ ambitions, even though they will tell us that they are looking no further than who is in front of them each week.
History tells us that if Wales are to win they will need an extraordinary performance while the Boks will have to be off their game. It is true that statistics can lie but one win in 24 Tests against the Springboks is revealing.
The Springboks were unbeaten in 12 consecutive Tests against Wales between 1906 and 1998 with 11 wins and one draw (in 1970).
The Springbok’s only loss against Wales came in 1999 when Gary Teichmann’s team lost 29-19 in the first Test match at the new Millennium Stadium. That Test was infamous for then Saru CEO Riaan Oberholzer’s morale-sapping “Adapt to racial change or die” change room speech. There was no objection to the content of that speech, it was the timing of it.
Obviously more important than the wins prior to 1999 is the subsequent 11 consecutive Springbok victories, including a recent win here in June to mark the tenth anniversary of the opening of the Stadium.
And perhaps more telling is the 11 defeats Wales have endured in their 16 matches. They have also lost 10 of their last 11 matches to Southern Hemisphere opposition (they beat Australia in Cardiff in 2008).
The mood in the capital of the Principality is turning mean and New Zealander coach Warren Gatland has been made very aware that he is sliding towards thin ice. As is always the case when a team is losing, the public want blood and a number of veteran players, particularly scrumhalf and flyhalf Stephen Jones, and loose forward Martyn Williams are reportedly on their Last Chance.
The ire of the Welsh fans was raised last week when their forwards won the battle against the Wallabies but the team lost the war because the backs could not contain their opponents or turn possession into points.
Gatland is trusting that the return of enterprising Lions fullback Lee Byrne from injury and the shifting of last week’s fullback, the inventive James Hook, to centre plus the selection of giant debutant wing George North will be a cure-all.
Wales’ obvious strength is their scrum, founded on the all-Lions Test front row of Adam Jones, Matthew Rees and Gethin Jenkins. The scrum earned seven penalties from the retreating Wallabies and was responsible for 10 of the 16 Welsh points.
Behind the front row, Wales have two highly mobile locks in Lion Alun Wyn Jones and Bradley Davies, who profoundly said at the final whistle last week: “Everybody knows that the game is won and lost up front, just not today!”
And the loose trio is not short on wheels, either.
There is no question that Wales are going to reverse their strategy of last week, when they kept the roof open so that a wet game would draw the Wallabies into a forward struggle and at the same time blunt their brilliant backs. It almost worked.
But against the Boks they will opt for a closed roof, dry conditions and will try and run the Boks off their feet while avoiding and arm wrestle with a Boks pack that destroyed Ireland.
But it is doubtful whether they can do it effectively enough to halt an 11-game losing streak against a Boks team that is far hungrier than it usually is in the Northern Hemisphere.
Referee: Steve Walsh (New Zealand)
Wales: 15 Lee Byrne, 14 George North, 13 Tom Shanklin, 12 James Hook, 11 Shane Williams; 10 Stephen Jones, 9 Mike Phillips; Gethin Jenkins, Matthew Rees (capt), Adam Jones, Bradley Davies, Alun Wyn Jones, Dan Lydiate, Martyn Williams, Jonathan Thomas
Substitutes: 16 Huw Bennett, 17 Paul James, 18 Ryan Jones, 19 Andy Powell, 20 Richie Rees, 21 Andrew Bishop, 22 Chris Czekaj
Springboks: 15 Gio Aplon, 14 Bjorn Basson, 13 Frans Steyn, 12 Jean de Villiers, 11 Bryan Habana, 10 Morne Steyn, 9 Ruan Pienaar, 8 Pierre Spies, 7 Juan Smith, 6 Deon Stegmann, 5 Victor Matfield (c), 4 Bakkies Botha, 3 Jannie du Plessis, 2 Bismarck du Plessis, 1 Beast Mtawarira.
Substiutes: Chiliboy Ralepelle, CJ van der Linde, Flip van der Merwe, TBC, Francois Hougaard, Zane Kirchner, Pat Lambie.

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