Meyer sounds warning about big and strong Wales

EVEN without the injured George North, Wales have “one of the best backlines because they are all big, strong and fast”.

So says Springbok coach Heyneke Meyer, who warned his team yesterday that the Welsh have much more than just a combative pack of forwards for Saturday’s clash at the Millennium Stadium.

The Wales Online website reported yesterday that North is unlikely to come through his concussion tests well enough to be named in the starting line-up today by coach Warren Gatland, which should see Liam Williams come in at left wing.

But even without the sizable North, Gatland can still call on right wing Alex Cuthbert, who stands at 1.98m and 106kg, as well as centres Jamie Roberts (1.93m, 110kg) and Jonathan Davies (1.86m, 104kg). In contrast, only captain Jean de Villiers (1.90m, 103kg) is over 100kg in the Springbok backline.

“What I respect about Wales is that they have a very good forward pack, their defence is up there with the best in the world, and they have a very good tactical game as well – there are no weak areas,” Meyer said yesterday. “If they get quick ball on the front foot, I truly believe that they have one of the best backlines because they are all big, strong and fast.

“When they played against us (in June this year), it was probably two of the toughest games that we’ve had the whole year, including the Rugby Championship. It could have gone either way, and they lost it right at the end.

“Wales are always very physical, especially with their big backs and big runners and if your defence is not up for it and you are physically not up for it, they get quality ball and keep the ball, which makes them a dangerous side.”

Meyer identified three areas that the Boks need to improve if they are to triumph at the Millennium Stadium on Saturday – lineout execution, generating quick ball at the breakdown and capitalising on every try-scoring opportunity.

“Up until the Italy Test, our line-outs was a strength of ours, as we hadn’t lost one line-out on tour, which is an unbelievable stat. We tried one or two things against Italy that didn’t work, so we want to see an improvement in the line-outs,” he said.

“I thought attackingwise, we actually played really well against Italy. Their defence was awesome, right up to the end. But we had three chanceswe didn’t use.”