The Wales national rugby union team toured South Africa in June 2008, playing two matches against the South Africa national team. South Africa won both tests, winning 43–17 in Bloemfontein on 7 June and 37–21 in Pretoria a week later.
Fixtures The venue for the first match was put in doubt due to ongoing work at the Free State Stadium in Bloemfontein in preparation for the 2010 FIFA World Cup. The schedule for the tour was confirmed on 27 March 2008; the first match would be played at the Free State Stadium on 7 June 2008 as scheduled, with the second at Loftus Versfeld Stadium in Pretoria a week later. The winners of the series would win the Prince William Cup, a trophy first awarded at the teams' previous meeting in Cardiff in November 2007. The matches were not played using the Experimental Law Variations (ELVs) that had been trialled during the 2008 Super 14 season, which South Africa coach Peter de Villiers said gave Wales an advantage.
DateVenue Home Score Away7 June 2008Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein43–1714 June 2008Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria37–21
Squads Wales Wales went into the tour as reigning Six Nations champions and unbeaten under new coach Warren Gatland, for whom this was his first tour in charge. After an intensive fitness camp in Ireland that included uncapped scrum-half Warren Fury, Gatland named an initial squad of 27 for the tour. Several members of Wales' Grand Slam-winning team were left out due to injury, including flankers Martyn Williams and Robin Sowden-Taylor (shoulder), full-back Lee Byrne, centre Gavin Henson (ankle), and scrum-halves Mike Phillips (knee) and Dwayne Peel (shoulder), while number 8 Alix Popham ruled himself out ahead of a summer move to French club Brive. Fellow back row Colin Charvis was left out after his club, the Newport Gwent Dragons, refused to release him for the training camp in Ireland. Meanwhile, wing Mark Jones recovered from groin surgery in time to be picked. Hooker Huw Bennett (ankle) and uncapped scrum-half Andy Williams (back) later also pulled out injured; Bennett was replaced by Ospreys scrum-half Richard Hibbard, while Williams was not replaced, leaving Fury as the only recognised back-up to Gareth Cooper, although wing Shane Williams said he would fill in at scrum-half if asked, having begun his career playing the position for Amman United. As well as Fury, lock Bradley Davies and centre Andrew Bishop were the other uncapped players included in the squad. Cardiff Blues hooker T. Rhys Thomas was called into the squad after Matthew Rees suffered a calf injury in the first test.
Name Position Club Notes Hooker Ospreys Withdrew due to ankle injury Hooker Ospreys Injury replacement for Huw Bennett Hooker Llanelli Scarlets Hooker Cardiff Blues Injury replacement for Matthew Rees Prop Cardiff Blues Prop Ospreys Prop Ospreys Prop Newport Gwent Dragons Lock Cardiff Blues Lock Ospreys Lock Ospreys Lock Ospreys Back row Gloucester Back row Llanelli Scarlets Back row Ospreys Captain Back row Ospreys Scrum-half Gloucester Scrum-half London Irish Scrum-half Newport Gwent Dragons Withdrew due to back injury Fly-half Ospreys Fly-half Llanelli Scarlets Centre Ospreys Centre Ospreys Centre Cardiff Blues Centre Cardiff Blues Wing Cardiff Blues Wing Llanelli Scarlets Wing Ospreys Full-back Llanelli Scarlets
South Africa The two matches against Wales were South Africa's first at home since being crowned world champions in the 2007 Rugby World Cup final against England. In January 2008, they appointed Peter de Villiers as their head coach, replacing Jake White, whose contract expired at the end of 2007. Selecting predominantly from the pool of players based in South Africa, as per a ruling by the South African Rugby Union board, De Villiers named a 30-man squad for the series against Wales and the match against Italy the following week; he picked four uncapped players, including Zimbabwe-born props Tendai Mtawarira and Brian Mujati, but there were several injury absentees from the side that won the World Cup, including centre Jaque Fourie, flanker Schalk Burger (knee) and scrum-half Fourie du Preez (hand). Wing Bryan Habana and lock Bakkies Botha were included in the squad after the resolution of a legal dispute between Botha and the South African Rugby Union over his planned move to French second division side Toulon.
Name Position Club Notes Hooker Natal Sharks/Sharks Hooker Natal Sharks/Sharks Captain Prop Natal Sharks/Sharks Prop Natal Sharks/Sharks Prop Golden Lions/Lions Prop Blue Bulls/Bulls Prop Free State Cheetahs/Cheetahs Lock Western Province/Stormers Lock Blue Bulls/Bulls Lock Blue Bulls/Bulls Back row Natal Sharks/Sharks Back row Blue Bulls/Bulls Back row Free State Cheetahs/Cheetahs Back row Blue Bulls/Bulls Back row Western Province/Stormers Back row Western Province/Stormers Scrum-half Western Province/Stormers Scrum-half Western Province/Stormers Scrum-half Natal Sharks/Sharks Fly-half Western Province/Stormers Fly-half Bath Centre Western Province/Stormers Centre Western Province/Stormers Centre Natal Sharks/Sharks Centre Natal Sharks/Sharks Wing Western Province/Stormers Wing Blue Bulls/Bulls Wing Natal Sharks/Sharks Full-back Western Province/Stormers Full-back Perpignan
Results First test
FB 15Conrad JantjesRW 14Tonderai ChavhangaOC 13Adrian Jacobs IC 12Jean de VilliersLW 11Bryan HabanaFH 10Butch James SH 9 Bolla Conradie N8 8 Pierre SpiesOF 7 Juan Smith BF 6 Luke WatsonRL 5 Andries Bekker LL 4 Bakkies Botha TP 3 Brian Mujati HK 2 John Smit (c) LP 1 Gurthro Steenkamp Replacements:HK 16Bismarck du Plessis PR 17CJ van der Linde LK 18Victor Matfield FL 19Danie Rossouw SH 20Ruan Pienaar FH 21Peter Grant FB 22Percy Montgomery Coach:Peter de Villiers FB 15Jamie Roberts RW 14Mark JonesOC 13Tom ShanklinIC 12Sonny ParkerLW 11Shane WilliamsFH 10Stephen Jones SH 9 Gareth Cooper N8 8 Ryan Jones (c)OF 7 Dafydd Jones BF 6 Jonathan ThomasRL 5 Alun Wyn Jones LL 4 Ian Gough TP 3 Adam JonesHK 2 Matthew Rees LP 1 Gethin JenkinsReplacements:HK 16Richard Hibbard PR 17Duncan Jones LK 18Ian Evans N8 19Gareth Delve SH 20Warren Fury FH 21James Hook FB 22Morgan Stoddart Coach: Warren Gatland
Second test
FB 15Conrad JantjesRW 14Tonderai Chavhanga OC 13Adrian Jacobs IC 12Jean de VilliersLW 11Bryan HabanaFH 10Butch JamesSH 9 Ricky Januarie N8 8 Pierre Spies OF 7 Juan Smith BF 6 Luke WatsonRL 5 Victor MatfieldLL 4 Bakkies Botha TP 3 BJ BothaHK 2 John Smit (c)LP 1 Tendai Mtawarira Replacements:HK 16Bismarck du Plessis PR 17Gurthro Steenkamp LK 18Andries Bekker N8 19Ryan Kankowski SH 20Bolla Conradie CE 21François Steyn FB 22Percy Montgomery Coach:Peter de Villiers FB 15James HookRW 14Mark Jones OC 13Tom Shanklin IC 12Jamie RobertsLW 11Shane WilliamsFH 10Stephen JonesSH 9 Gareth Cooper N8 8 Gareth Delve OF 7 Jonathan ThomasBF 6 Ryan Jones (c) RL 5 Alun Wyn JonesLL 4 Ian GoughTP 3 Rhys M. Thomas HK 2 Richard Hibbard LP 1 Gethin JenkinsReplacements:HK 16T. Rhys Thomas PR 17Duncan Jones LK 18Ian Evans FL 19Dafydd Jones SH 20Warren Fury CE 21Andrew Bishop WG 22Tom James Coach: Warren Gatland
References