Makazole Mapimpi during the Springbok captain's run at Newlands on 15 July 2022 in Cape Town, South Africa. Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images
The Test series between the Springboks and Wales could have been scripted for a Hollywood sports movie.
No-hoper side (Wales lost to Italy and came second last in the Six Nations series) takes on world champions (the Boks), narrowly losing the first match but fighting back to take the second. Leaving all to play for in the decider.
If the Boks had done what many have expected and slaughtered the Welsh, then today’s match in Cape Town would have been nothing more than a ho-hum formality.
The Springboks were lucky to win the first Test, where Wales scored more yellow cards than tries. Equally, they didn’t deserve to beat the Welsh in the follow-up.
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Seldom has a national team played a more disjointed game than in Bloemfontein last weekend, as coach Jacques Nienaber’s radically changed side failed to fire properly.
Yet, a wounded Springbok is a dangerous animal. Ask the British & Irish Lions team from 2021 about that.
At the same time, though, Wales have shown flashes of brilliance and you cannot call their players soft or gutless. Wales are hoping for a historic first series win on South African soil today.
The Boks need to play like world champions.
It’s going to be edge-of-the-seat stuff.
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