South Africa expecting stiff challenge from Wales

South Africa captain Siya Kolisi said the Boks will guard against complacency when they face Wales in the upcoming Rugby World Cup warm-up game in Cardiff on Saturday.

Kolisi, who has recovered from a serious knee injury has been named the captain for the encounter and will be lining up against a 10th ranked Wales side with Warren Gatland returning as head coach replacing Wayne Pivac earlier in the year.

Even though, Wales had a struggling start under Gatland's second tenure having finished last in the Six Nations tournament, they have redeemed themselves in the two warm-up matches against England where they registered a win in Cardiff followed by a narrow loss at Twickenham Stadium.

Citing the example of the 2019 Rugby World Cup semi-final which saw the Springboks seal a thrilling 19-16 victory against Wales, Kolisi said they have high respect for Gatland's men and urged on the need to build momentum leading into the showpiece event.

“We respect Wales a lot,” said Kolisi.

“They are similar to us in many ways, because they are hard-working individuals who don’t get things easy. They can take you to dark places, so it’s going to be a tough Test.

“In the 2019 World Cup semifinal they played similarly to us and, in the end, one penalty goal separated the teams.”

Assistant coach Mzwandile Stick also echoed Kolisi's sentiment as they look to lock horns with Wales under the electric atmosphere in Cardiff.

“It’s always tough to play Wales at home. They are tough people with a high work rate and it shows in the way they play.

“They have a few young players coming through the system and I have no doubt they’ll want to show they deserve to be there. So, we are expecting a tough game.

“That said, the focus for us will be to make sure we build momentum with the Rugby World Cup ahead.”