Listening to Gatland’s a win over Springboks YOUR GUIDE TO THE GAME Principality Stadium, 5.20pm
Liam Williams (Saracens) George North (Ospreys) Jonathan Davies (Scarlets) Hadleigh Parkes (Scarlets) Josh Adams (Worcester) Gareth Anscombe (Cardiff Blues) Gareth Davies (Scarlets) Nicky Smityh (Ospreys)
Ken Owens (Scarlets) Tomas Francis (Exeter) Adam Beard (Ospreys) Alun Wyn Jones (Ospreys, c) Dan Lydiate (Ospreys) Justin Tipuric (Ospreys) Ross Moriarty (Dragons) Elliot Dee (Dragons), Rob Evans (Scarlets), Dillon Lewis (Cardiff Blues), Cory Hill (Dragons), Ellis Jenkins (Cardiff Blues), Tomos Williams (Cardiff Blues), Dan Biggar (Northampton), Owen Watkin (Ospreys).
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8. Reps: Referee: Touch judges:
TV match official:
TV: Willie Le Roux Sbu Nkosi Jesse Kriel Damien de Allende Aphiwe Dyantyi Hendre Pollard Embrose Papier Steven Kitschoff Malcolm Marx Frans Malherbe RG Snyman Franco Mostert Siya Kolisi (c) Pieter-Steph du Toit Duane Vermeulen Bongi Mbonambi, Thomas du Toit, Vincent Koch, Eben Etzebeth, Francois Louw, Ivan van Zyl, Elton Jantjies, Cheslin Kolbe.
Reps: 12.
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pitch at any point?
It is easy to pile the negatives one on top of the other. But every team selection is a gamble to a degree.
Anscombe is in the side because he has been a consistent match-winner for Cardiff Blues and he helped trigger this month’s wins over Scotland and Australia.
His goal-kicking hasn’t been an issue at regional level. In fact, it’s been a plus.
An assured performance would pretty much book him the No.10 shirt for the start of the Six Nations. This is his chance to deliver the definitive effort that would remove any doubt about his right to be considered Wales’s first-choice fly-half.
His positive mindset – he’s New Zealand-born, for heaven’s sake – will undoubtedly help, while it wouldn’t hurt the Welsh cause if Gareth Davies kicked accurately, too, and found his best form.
Two weeks after the narrow Wales win over Australia, everything points to another tight encounter.
Wales have an excellent defence and are surfing a wave of confidence. They have players on top of their games in Justin Tipuric, Jonathan Davies and Alun Wyn Jones and are targeting a first autumn grand slam. Individuals also have World Cup spots to contest.
Some have suggested South Africa could be tired at the end of a long season, but Wales shouldn’t bank on it.
It can be easier to be knocked out than to stand out against South Africa, and Erasmus’ players will be determined to end their campaign on a high.
The case for a Wales triumph? Well, they are playing at home. And if they can stamp their authority on proceedings, with the likes of Nicky Smith, Alun Wyn Jones, Ken Owens and Dan Lydiate backing up Tipuric in the quest for possession steals, and the half-backs play with control, and the scrum and 1,001 other things go right, they might just be able to turn eight straight wins into nine.
A certain chambermaid in Pretoria would never buy it, of course.
But victory would surely win over most others who harbour doubts about Gatland’s side as the real deal.
The silent assassins’ cover would be blown.