While the Boks have several of their top players unavailable for the Test during their respective club commitments, Rassie Erasmus has still assembled a very strong squad. Morné van der Berg and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu will be the starting halfback combination, while Reinach will feature off the bench.

André Esterhuizen and Damian de Allende will start at centre, while Ethan Hooker and Canan Moodie will run out on the wing, with Damian Willemse starting at fullback once more.

Cobus Reinach. Photo: Morgan Piek

Up front, Franco Mostert will start on the flanker after being cleared of his red card against Italy, and he will form the loose-trio with captain Siya Kolisi and Jasper Wiese.

In the second row, Jean Kleyn and Ruan Nortjé earn a start, with Wilco Louw, Johan Grobbelaar, and Gerhard Steenekamp running out as the front row.

On the bench, Erasmus has named a seven-one split, and both Kwagga Smith as well as Ben-Jason Dixon will provide cover for the backline if the need arises.

In a somewhat surprising move, the Springboks Mobi-unit coach, Duane Vermeulen, has also be placed on standby in case a serious injury is picked up in the lead up to the Test.

Erasmus told OFM Sport that Reinach has been exceptional this year, and he is surprised at how the Grey College Old Boy has stepped up as leader as well.

Ben-Jason Dixon. Photo: Morgan Piek

“Yeah, I think Cobus’ story is special; we’ll never forget guys like Faf de Klerk and Jaden Hendrikse, and there are a couple of others who are still very much in the mix for 2027, even though they’re not on tour,” said Erasmus.

“But Cobus has been unbelievable this year. He’s really taken on a role where he helps the other nines, and I’ve never seen him this involved in planning, tactics, and the finer details of our preparation.

“It’s funny, you never quite know when a player will step into that senior role, but he’s really embraced it, and he’s been helping Grant a lot as well.

Duane Vermeulen. Photo: Morgan Piek

“We’re also very aware of his 50th match. With a 7-1 bench split and Cobus covering wing too, you don’t want your starting nine to shift from scrumhalf to wing during a game.

“So we’ve got Kwagga Smith covering in the backline, and then Ben-Jason Dixon as well if we get multiple injuries, which is always possible in a game like this.

“But for him, getting his 50th is massive. He’ll still get to lead the team out, and like RG Snyman last week, he accepted that starting isn’t always what’s best for the team. With the 7-1 split and him covering a few positions, this is what works for us. But, he’s a top man.”

Saturday’s Test at the Principality Stadium in Cardiff will kick off at 17:10.

Wales – 15 Blair Murray, 14 Ellis Mee, 13 Joe Roberts, 12 Joe Hawkins, 11 Rio Dyer, 10 Dan Edwards, 9 Kieran Hardy, 8 Aaron Wainwright, 7 Alex Mann, 6 Taine Plumtree, 5 Rhys Davies, 4 Ben Carter, 3 Keiron Assiratti, 2 Dewi Lake (captain), 1 Gareth Thomas

Replacements – 16 Brodie Coghlan, 17 Danny Southworth, 18 Christian Coleman, 19 James Ratti, 20 Morgan Morse, 21 Reuben Morgan-Williams, 22 Callum Sheedy, 23 Ben Thomas

Springboks – 15 Damian Willemse, 14 Ethan Hooker, 13 Damian de Allende, 12 André Esterhuizen, 11 Canan Moodie, 10 Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, 9 Morné van den Berg, 8 Japer Wiese, 7 Franco Mostert, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 5 Ruan Nortjé, 4 Jean Kleyn, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Gerhard Steenekamp

Replacements – 16 Bongi Mbonambi, 17 Zachary Porthen, 18 Asenathi Ntlabakanye, 19 Eben Etzebeth, 20 Marco van Staden, 21 Ben-Jason Dixon, 22 Kwagga Smith, 23 Cobus Reinach

OFM Sport/Morgan Piek mvh