Wales move on to Bloemfontein this Thursday and are hoping to build on their performance in the 32-29 defeat at Loftus Versfeld last weekend in the series opener.
Francis came on as a replacement during the second half of the first Test in Pretoria but lasted only one minute after catching a stray knee to the head in a tackle. The Ospreys prop was carried off and has since been withdrawn from the squad by the Wales medical team to allow him to optimise his recovery.
“The priority would be his health. We have an unbelievable medical department who makes sure he comes first in that,” explained Humphreys.
Dillon Lewis and Tomas Francis
“We have two young tight heads we brought out with us, and it will be a huge opportunity for one of them. Sam (Wainwright) and Harri (O’Connor) are two highly committed young professionals and it is a hell of an opportunity for them
“I’m confident they are ready to take on the occasion. They have worked their socks off since they joined us, they’ve fitted right in and I’m confident it won’t be too much for them.
Sam Wainwright working hard in the gym
“Dillon (Lewis) has been fantastic for us and doesn’t get enough credit. He is ready to go again.
“Tight head is one of the toughest positions on the field to play and the rest of the pack need to help him in that area. There weren’t that many scrums last weekend, but there is room for improvement in that area.
“That said, there was a definite improvement from the last time we played them. You certainly know what’s coming through the front door when you play Test rugby out here.”
Having worked their way into an 18-3 interval lead at Loftus Versfeld, and denied the world champions any tries, Wales found themselves beaten by a penalty in the 83rd minute having conceded 15 penalties in the match and been issued four yellow cards.
“Discipline is a huge part of the game and it is no secret it was part of our undoing in the first Test. The reality is we came here to win and we didn’t,” added Humphreys.
“That’s why the initial reaction was one of disappointment. It was a good effort and we stuck largely to what we said we were going to do, especially in the first half.
“But to lose in the last minute of any Test, especially this one in front of a full house at an iconic venue like Loftus Versfeld, is a tough one. The big thing for us now is that we have to improve and be better than we were last weekend.
“If we want to get out of this tour what we want, there is a lot of work we need to do. We are prepared to do that.
“There are no surprises with the Springboks. They keep on coming at you for 80 minutes and you have to be prepared to stay in the fight for that long.
“In the last two games I’ve been involved in we have stayed in the physical battle, but this weekend it will be more than it was last weekend. It is down to how physical we can be and if we can repeat the basics of what we are trying to do.
“That comes down to confidence – we need to be clear in our roles, clear in our execution and have the fight to keep it going for 80 minutes.
“We are confident we can keep doing that. We’ve come to a great place to play rugby and we’re coming up against a team that is respected for coming at you.
“You can’t take a step back. That’s not about being illegal, but about facing the challenge. We did that in Pretoria and we aren’t just going to roll over – we have to be on the front foot and that won’t change.
“We’re pretty excited by the challenge that awaits us and we are aware it’s going to be a bigger challenge than it was in Pretoria.”
