Why Are Wales Playing South Africa This Saturday?

Autumn international: Wales v South Africa

Venue: Principality Stadium, Cardiff Date: Saturday, 29 November Kick-off: 15:10 GMT

Coverage: Commentary connected BBC Sounds, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and unrecorded matter connected BBC Sport online.

Many group thought nan autumn world programme vanished past weekend.

It has been completed for astir nations but not Wales and South Africa who will play 1 last crippled connected Saturday astatine Cardiff's Principality Stadium.

It is simply a arguable lucifer that has been organised by nan Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) extracurricular World Rugby's designated model for world matches.

It has not proved celebrated pinch galore fans but nan WRU says it tin use Welsh rugby connected and disconnected nan field.

"I don't deliberation anybody wants nan crippled adjacent weekend, players aliases supporters," erstwhile Wales fly-half James Hook told nan Scrum V podcast.

"We are not going to win, are we? How are we going to telephone it off?"

BBC Sport outlines nan reasons why nan crippled has been arranged.

World Rugby has 2 designated three-week windows designed for world matches betwixt world sides - 1 successful July and nan different successful November.

This intends players are released by their clubs for their nationalist sides nether World Rugby regularisation nine.

The 3 weekends successful nan model for this period were November 8-9, 15-16 and 22-23.

National sides tin organise fixtures extracurricular of that play but clubs do not person to merchandise their players for those matches.

The main logic is money. The location federation pays nan visiting squad a ample sum to play and past hopes it tin recuperate nan interest and besides make a profit from summons income and hospitality.

That is particularly important for Welsh rugby because an estimated 60% of nan game's turnover is generated by hosting elder world men's matches astatine Principality Stadium and related commercialized activity.

The WRU says it is simply a not-for-profit organisation and each nan money it generates goes backmost into nan Welsh game.

The origins of this peculiar fixture are understood to person been initially agreed successful 2018 and organised for 2020 but that was postponed because of Covid.

In 2021, nan lucifer was rescheduled until this twelvemonth pinch some sides continuing to honour it.

Despite nan claims of financial benefits, nan conception of a 4th world fixture has often been arguable pinch nan WRU choosing not to person 1 successful 2024.

It has staged nan further matches successful erstwhile years but ever relied connected important crowds to thief raise gross and make a profit.

When asked really overmuch money nan WRU is hoping to make from this peculiar fixture - and what interest is being paid to nan Springboks to travel to Cardiff - Welsh rugby's governing assemblage refused to springiness financial figures, stating that was commercially sensitive.

Time will show whether it generates nan money expected to warrant specified a match.

That is difficult to opportunity astatine nan moment. The WRU says it will not merchandise nan attendance until nan time of nan game, which is normal protocol, but insists it expects to meet targets for this match.

A WRU connection said: "We will person welcomed almost 250,000 supporters done nan Principality Stadium turnstiles crossed nan 4 consecutive weekends successful November successful Cardiff, erstwhile we big South Africa this weekend.

"We are grateful to nan hundreds of thousands of fans who person shown their support for caller caput coach Steve Tandy and his squad arsenic they build for nan future.

"We person received affirmative feedback astir nan greatly enhanced matchday acquisition successful Cardiff this year.

"We look guardant to different typical juncture erstwhile we look nan world champions and expect different bumper crowd to subordinate us."

The crowd fig this play could beryllium nan awesome rumor for Welsh rugby's governing assemblage pinch this fixture yet to seizure nan imagination of nan public.

There person been anecdotal stories connected societal media of slow income for this crippled and moreover free tickets being fixed retired for immoderate matches this autumn.

Welsh fans mightiness not beryllium hopeless to move up and watch protector sides aliases spot a imaginable dense conclusion for nan hosts.

The Springboks person besides already played successful London this period erstwhile they defeated Japan astatine Wembley astatine nan opening of November, truthful travelling South Africans mightiness besides not beryllium consenting to make nan trip.

The double world champions visited Cardiff past play wrong nan world window, easing to a 45-10 triumph successful a lucifer which attracted a crowd of 67,236.

More than 68,000 turned up astatine nan Principality Stadium to watch New Zealand conclusion Wales 52-26 past weekend.

We hold to spot really nan crowd compares this Saturday.

No. Wales v South Africa is nan only world crippled taking spot adjacent weekend.

England, Ireland and Scotland besides chose to big matches extracurricular nan world model but they decided to play them connected 1 November.

They faced Australia, New Zealand and nan United States respectively, while South Africa besides played Japan connected nan aforesaid play - notably pinch nary conflict pinch their respective leagues.

In contrast, Wales and nan Springboks will beryllium playing connected nan aforesaid play arsenic a information of United Rugby Championship (URC) fixtures.

Dragons are hosting Leinster connected Friday night, while connected Saturday Cardiff and Ospreys look trips to play Zebre and Edinburgh and Scarlets entertain Glasgow.

The Welsh nationalist broadside playing connected nan aforesaid play arsenic nan 4 master sides has attracted criticism, particularly pinch nan regions being under-strength arsenic Wales will beryllium utilizing nan apical players.

Ospreys are peculiarly difficult deed pinch 12 players successful nan Wales squad. Nine of those are forwards while Wales skipper Jac Morgan is besides injured.

So Mark Jones' men are near facing a daunting travel to Scotland this play pinch a weakened side.

The 13 Welsh players based successful England and France initially named successful Tandy's autumn squad are not disposable for Wales this weekend.

Lock Adam Beard is based successful France, while location are 12 players who ply their waste and acquisition successful England pinch Rhys Carre, Olly Cracknell, Archie Griffin, Nicky Smith, Dafydd Jenkins, Freddie Thomas, Tomos Williams, Jarrod Evans, Louie Hennessey, Max Llewellyn, Nick Tompkins and Louis Rees-Zammit unavailable.

In contrast, Wales person a semipermanent woody pinch their ain sides to merchandise players for nan nationalist side, truthful Ospreys, Cardiff, Scarlets and Dragons names dress up nan 30-strong squad this weekend.

The Springboks will besides person a constricted action because immoderate of their players person returned to English, French and Japanese clubs, while caput coach Rassie Erasmus has besides released players backmost to South African sides for URC action.

South Africa will beryllium without world subordinate of nan twelvemonth Malcolm Marx, Thomas du Toit, Boan Venter, Lood de Jager, RG Snyman, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Grant Williams, Handre Pollard, Manie Libbok, Jesse Kriel, Cheslin Kolbe and Edwill van der Merwe, who person returned to their provincial unions and clubs.

The bosses from nan 4 master sides person declined to publically remark truthful acold connected nan scheduling of this game.

So it will beryllium near to their caput coaches to respond successful this week's property conferences earlier nan URC matches

The WRU continues to backmost nan benefits of a 4th international.

"From a capacity perspective, challenging yourself against nan very champion sides successful nan world crippled boosts subordinate and squad development," a WRU connection said.

"From a business constituent of position nan summation of a 4th world lucifer successful nan bid straight boosts resources disposable to put straight backmost into rugby successful Wales."

Saying that, location is nary planned repetition adjacent year.

Due to nan caller Nations Championships successful 2026 location are nary plans for matches extracurricular nan world model adjacent November.

There will still beryllium 4 games played but owed to nan quality of nan caller tourney they will beryllium held wrong nan window.