Anxious wait for Wales’ World Cup hopefuls – BBC Sport

It promises to be a nervous 48 hours.

For Wales players who are aiming to impress in the final World Cup warm-up audition. For coaches and supporters who are hoping the tournament campaign will not be derailed by any late injuries to key performers.

Wales play their final World Cup warm-up Test on Saturday when they tackle South Africa at the Principality Stadium.

It is a last opportunity for players to impress before Wales head coach Warren Gatland announces his 33-player World Cup squad on Monday.

From the current 48-man squad, only Alex Cuthbert, Gareth Anscombe and Taulupe Faletau will have not featured in the three warm-up games. Twenty-three players will have the final audition.

The test of the world champions coming in Cardiff could hardly be more daunting. Especially a side as strong as South Africa are fielding against a Wales team that have slipped to its joint lowest world ranking of 10th.

There was a school of thought Wales might pick close to what is perceived as the strongest side against the Springboks to establish combinations ahead of the World Cup opener against Fiji on 10 September.

That has not materialised especially since the late withdrawal of British and Irish Lions trio Dan Biggar, Liam Williams and Alex Cuthbert to precautionary injuries with Wales losing almost 250 caps of experience.

This is compared to the 235 caps in Saturday’s starting side with only 39 in the backline. It amounts to one of the most inexperienced Wales sides in recent memory.

Fly-half Biggar, full-back Williams and wing Cuthbert, have been replaced by Sam Costelow, the uncapped Cai Evans and Scarlets wing Tom Rogers, who have only six caps between them with the young trio now having a chance to sake their claim.

Flanker Dan Lydiate, with 70 Wales appearances, is the most experienced member of the Wales side on show. Contrastingly, South Africa have 659 caps in the first XV.

Cardiff props Corey Domachowski and Keiron Assiratti were handed their first caps together against England a fortnight ago in the 20-9 victory.

The Cardiff duo were facing an uncertain future at the beginning of the year with no sign of new contracts. They have now agreed new deals and are on the brink of a first World Cup.

Domachowski is battling with Kemsley Mathias, Nicky Smith and Gareth Thomas for one of the three loose-head positions, while only a trio of tight-head contenders from Assiratti, Henry Thomas, Tomas Francis and Dillon Lewis will travel to France.

To prove credentials, Domachowski and Assiratti have to try and tame the Springbok scrum with Steven Kitshoff, Malcolm Marx and Frans Malherbe starting and Bongi Mbonambi, Ox Nche, Vincent Koch coming off the replacements bench.

There is 197 starting caps in the South Africa front-row compared to 44 in Wales’ trio with hooker Elliot Dee having 42 of those.

While it was the lineout that capitulated against England last weekend, the scrum will be tested this Saturday.

“It [selection] is not a gamble in our minds,” said Wales forwards coach Jonathan Humphreys.

“Gats [Warren Gatland] said from the start said everybody would have an opportunity. We need to find out about people and this is the biggest opportunity of people’s lives.

“We are not just giving them caps, they have earned it over the last 13 weeks. Some of the front-row boys have changed their lives.

“Not just by being selected here, they have changed their lives in how they have eaten, trained and gone about their business.

“These boys are going to be the future. We are going to find out on Saturday how far they have come along the path.”

When South Africa’s 2019 World Cup-winning captain Siya Kolisi suffered a knee injury in April and underwent knee surgery, doubts surfaced about whether he would be fit in time for the Springboks’ title defence.

It has been a long road back, but Kolisi will make his first appearance of the year in Cardiff after missing the Rugby Championship.

South Africa face New Zealand at Twickenham next Friday, then it is full steam ahead for a World Cup opener against Scotland on September 10.

His Wales counterpart Jac Morgan will have now led Wales in two of their three preparation Tests and is a clear favourite to be World Cup captain.

Hooker Dewi Lake had been given the leadership reins against England at Twickenham last weekend but was forced off the field with a knee injury.

Morgan, 23, set a high bar during Wales’ 20-9 victory over England on 5 August and has been handed the captaincy against South Africa.

Gatland appointed a 22-year-old Sam Warburton as his World Cup skipper in 2011, and Morgan is a similar mould as an outstanding performer who has huge respect from playing peers and coaches.

Only one father and son have represented Wales at different World Cups with Paul Moriarty involved in 1987 and Ross competing in 2015 and 2019.

This might change in France next month with three of Wales’ 23 man squad on show this weekend having fathers who have previously played for Wales.

New cap Cai Evans, son of former Wales captain and WRU chairman Ieuan, lines up at full-back, while Cardiff lock Teddy Williams is also destined to win his first cap from the bench and follow in the footsteps of his late father Owain.

Replacement centre Max Llewellyn, the son of ex-lock Gareth, is set to win his second Wales cap from the bench.

Llewellyn could find himself involved in a straight shootout with Johnny Williams for one of the probable four midfield berths with Mason Grady, Nick Tompkins, George North, Joe Roberts and Keiran Williams also in contention.

Williams is playing his first game of the campaign after recovering from injury which forced him to miss the training camp in Turkey.

The 26-year-old becomes the eighth centre selected by Gatland in 2023 and will partner Grady, the 22nd different midfield combination in 42 games since the 2019 World Cup.

Few Welsh fans will forget the heartbreak for Leigh Halfpenny and Rhys Webb in the final 2015 World Cup warm-up game against Italy when the pair were stretchered off with serious knee injuries and missed the tournament.

Gareth Anscombe suffered a similar fate in 2019 when he sustained a knee problem against England at Twickenham that was to sideline him for two years.

This campaign has seen no gambles taken with the fitness of Biggar (back), Williams (hamstring) and Cuthbert (calf) this weekend.

Hooker Ryan Elias (hamstring) and lock Dafydd Jenkins (knee) came off in the opening game against England, with Lake (knee) and Taine Plumtree (shoulder) forced to leave the field in the return match at Twickenham.

This quartet hope to be fit for the World Cup opener against Fiji in Bordeaux on 10 September and waiting anxiously to see whether Gatland will risk them in their final squad.

Wales’ hopefuls will know within 48 hours of the final whistle against the Springboks whether they have made Gatland’s squad.

Then it will be over to the verdict of Wales’ head coach who will have 15 disappointed players to deal with.

“Saturday night is finalising the squad,” said Gatland.

“We’ll get a detailed injury update in terms of all the players, the ones carrying knocks and when they can return to full-time training.

“Sunday will be a rehash of that and potentially there may be one or two decisions which has happened in the past where we’re still undecided.

“We might sleep on it and make a final decision, then it’s notifying the players and announcing the squad on Monday.”

Expect plenty of anxiety between now and then.

Wales: C Evans; Rogers, Grady, J Williams, Dyer; Costelow, Hardy; Domachowski, Dee, Assiratti, Carter, Rowlands, Lydiate, Morgan (capt), Wainwright.

Replacements: Parry, N Smith, H Thomas, Teddy Williams, Basham, Tomos Williams, Llewellyn, Rees-Zammit.

South Africa: Le Roux; Moodie, Kriel, de Allende, Kolbe; Libbok, J Hendrikse; Kitshoff, Marx, Malherbe, Kleyn, Snyman, Kolisi (capt), du Toit, Wiese.

Replacements: Mbonambi, Nche, Koch, Mostert, van Staden, Vermeulen, G Williams, Willemse.