Wales Face 'Hardest Test' Against South Africa in Nations Championship

Wales must regroup quickly following a 35-21 defeat to Argentina in San Juan, as they prepare to face world champions South Africa in Durban on Saturday (16:40 BST). The Nations Championship fixture will test the progress made under defence coach Steve Tandy, according to wing Josh Adams.

Wales entered the Argentina match on a three-game winning streak, including victories over Italy in the Six Nations and Fiji in the Nations Championship opener, plus an uncapped win against the Barbarians. However, they were overpowered by the Pumas, who responded to an opening-round loss to Scotland.

Adams: No harder test

"There's probably no harder test," Adams said. "It's certainly something that will test this group and it'll probably answer a lot of questions about where we are. How can we react from the Argentina game? The physicality, contact area, movement is all magnified against a team like South Africa so we have to be at the races."

Wales face a Springboks side that has started the Nations Championship with victories against England and Scotland. South Africa also demolished Wales 73-0 at Principality Stadium in November, a match played outside World Rugby's Test window.

Key points

• Wales lost 35-21 to Argentina in San Juan.
• South Africa have beaten England and Scotland in the Nations Championship so far.
• The Springboks hammered Wales 73-0 in November 2024.
• Wales won for the first time on South African soil in 2022, with Adams scoring the decisive try.
• Wales face a 5,000-mile journey crossing five time zones to reach Durban.

Adams dismissed travel concerns, noting that Scotland made the same trip and almost shocked the Springboks before losing 42-28. "There'll be no excuses," he said. Wales will aim to be competitive and show improvement against the world's top-ranked side.