Steve Tandy has made six changes to his starting line-up for the clash against the Springboks at Kings Park in Round Three of the Nations Championship.
Wales head into the fixture with the back-to-back world champions off the back of a 35-21 defeat to Los Pumas in Argentina after beating Fiji 39-24 the week before.
The last time these two nations met, South Africa emerged as 73-0 victors, with Wales looking to not only reverse that result but go in search of just their second-ever win over the Springboks in the Republic after their 13-12 win in Bloemfontein in 2022.
Wales changes for Springboks showdown
Hooker Dewi Lake will once again lead Wales this weekend and features in an unchanged front-row with Rhys Carre at loosehead and Dillon Lewis at tighthead. Teddy Williams is the first change in the pack as he makes his first start of the Nations Championship alongside Adam Beard in the second-row.
The second change in the pack sees Alex Mann return as he replaces James Botham in the number six jersey with Jac Morgan on the other side of the scrum while Aaron Wainwright is at number eight. Mann starts against the Boks after he was the victim of Eben Etzebeth’s eye-gouge during last year’s meeting in Cardiff.
‘It was pretty mad’ – Alex Mann breaks his silence on Eben Etzebeth eye-gouging incident
Dan Edwards replaces Sam Costelow at fly-half with Tomos Williams named as his half-back partner. Tandy has changed both of his centres with Joe Hawkins dropping to the bench and is replaced by Ben Thomas at inside centre whilst Max Llewellyn takes over from Eddie James.
Louis Rees-Zammit is elevated from the bench to start on the right wing with Ellis Mee dropped from the side, while Josh Adams starts on the left again and Blair Murray continues at full-back.
There is a 6-2 split on the Wales bench – Ryan Elias, Nicky Smith and Ben Warren are the front-row replacements. Freddie Thomas is covering the second-row, with Tommy Reffell and Botham the back-row cover. Reuben Morgan-Williams and Joe Hawkins are the replacement backs.
Schalk Burger: ‘Scotland did a Rassie on Rassie’
Tandy said: “We’ve made some changes to the starting XV. It’s coming to the end of the season; we’ve had a big bit of travel. Some boys deserve an opportunity and it’s a chance to freshen up the team.
“South Africa are world champions. They have loads of depth. For us, it’s about putting our game out there. We want to see a real physical edge.
“We’re going up against probably the most physical team in the world. So we know we’re going to have to really step up the physicality. It’s a great opportunity to test ourselves against the best team in the world.”
South Africa v Wales
Wales: 15 Blair Murray, 14 Louis Rees-Zammit, 13 Max Llewellyn, 12 Ben Thomas, 11 Josh Adams, 10 Dan Edwards, 9 Tomos Williams, 8 Aaron Wainwright, 7 Jac Morgan, 6 Alex Mann, 5 Adam Beard, 4 Teddy Williams, 3 Dillon Lewis, 2 Dewi Lake (c), 1 Rhys Carre
Replacements: 16 Ryan Elias, 17 Nicky Smith, 18 Ben Warren, 19 Freddie Thomas, 20 Tommy Reffell, 21 James Botham, 22 Reuben Morgan-Williams, 23 Joe Hawkins
Date: Saturday, 18 July, 2026
Venue: Hollywoodbets, Kings Park, Durban
Kick-off: 17:40 (local), 16:40 (UK), 17:40 (France), 17:40 (South Africa), 01:40 (19 July, AEST), 03:40 (19 July, New Zealand), 12:40 (Argentina), 00:40 (19 July, JST), 11:40 (EDT)
Referee: Andrew Brace (IRFU)
Assistant Referees: Pierre Brousset (FFR) and James Doleman (NZR)
TMO: Olly Hodges (IRFU)
FPRO: Richard Kelly (NZR)
Broadcasters: ITV (United Kingdom), TF1 (France), Virgin Media Television (Republic of Ireland), Sky Italia (Italy), Wowow (Japan), Sky Sport (New Zealand), Nine Network / Stan Sport (Australia), SuperSport (South Africa)
READ MORE: Schalk Burger accuses Scotland star of ‘milking’ suspected headbutt: ‘Where else must he go?’