Josh Adams out of Wales' South Africa Test with calf injury

Wales have suffered a late injury blow ahead of Saturday's Nations Championship fixture against South Africa, with wing Josh Adams ruled out due to a calf strain. The 31-year-old did not complete final preparations in Durban on Friday and has been withdrawn from the starting XV.

Adams, who has scored 25 tries for Wales and is fifth on the nation's all-time try chart, had been selected to face the world champions at Kings Park. He started all of Wales' Tests in 2026 and crossed for a try against Fiji in the opening round of the Nations Championship.

Replacement and team changes

Ellis Mee will now start in Adams' place, stepping into the back three alongside Louis Rees-Zammit and Blair Murray. Mee was initially expected to miss out after Rees-Zammit was recalled to the squad for the Argentina defeat. The reshuffle also sees full-back Blair Murray retain the No. 15 jersey after featuring in all three Nations Championship Tests so far.

• Josh Adams scored the decisive try when Wales beat South Africa on home soil for the first time in 2022.
• Wales are coming off a 35-21 loss to Argentina in their previous Nations Championship outing.
• South Africa named a strong side including captain Pieter-Steph du Toit and scrum-half Cobus Reinach.
• Kick-off is scheduled for 16:40 BST at Kings Park, Durban.

What's next

Wales will look to bounce back against a formidable Springboks side in the third round of the Nations Championship. The match also serves as preparation for the rest of the tournament, with further fixtures against top-tier opposition ahead.