Their 29-28 triumph at Estadio Único Madre de Ciudades, in Santiago del Estero, last weekend stunned the Boks, who had raced into a 17-0 lead, and put the Argentineans in with an outside chance of winning the Rugby Championship for the first time.
To pick up the title they will have to do it all over again in Nelspruit this weekend when they will need to win with a bonus-point, deny the world champions anything and close a points difference gap of 37. After the tournament they have had, anything seems possible.
And that’s what they have shown to Warren Gatland’s Welsh players – that the Springboks are beatable. That is something Dewi Lake and co can take into their Autumn Nations Series camp in November when they face Fiji, the newly crowned Pacific Nations Cup winners, Australia, who pushed the All Blacks all the way last weekend before going down to a narrow 31-28 defeat, and South Africa.
Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus was targeting an unbeaten year as he seeks to build on last year’s World Cup success. Wales will be the last team they play in 2024 at Principality Stadium on Saturday 23 November (kick-off 5.40pm).
Wales last beat the Boks on 9 July 2022 in what was the first success against them on South African soil. That was a famous day in Bloemfontein, with Wayne Pivac as coach.
Gatland can claim four in a row against them from 2016-18, as well as an earlier success in 2014. He also led the British & Irish Lions to a first Test victory over the Boks in 2021. If anyone knows how to beat them, then it is Gatland!
But before we get that definitive showdown with the world champions in the Welsh capital on 23 November there are two equally tough games to play against Fiji and Australia. Wales beat both teams at last year’s World Cup and Gatland will be seeking a return to those days this autumn.
The Wallabies are in action against the All Blacks once again in the final round of the Rugby Championship, heading to Wellington to try to finish with a flourish. Joe Schmidt’s side will finish bottom of the table regardless of the outcome and the next target after their Bledisloe Cup clash will be their Autumn Nations Series.
Forty years on from their Grand Slam tour in 1984, they will meet England, Wales, Scotland and Ireland before ending their Test year.
WALES AUTUMN NATIONS SERIES – PRINCIPALITY STADIUM
Sunday 10 November
WALES V FIJI – KO 1:40PMSunday 17 November
WALES V AUSTRALIA – KO 4:10PMSaturday 23 November
WALES V SOUTH AFRICA – KO 4:40PM
Tickets Available HERE
