Wales head coach Warren Gatland has made four changes to the starting line-up for Saturday’s clash against South Africa as questions remain about his future in the job.
Gatland has overseen a record 11 successive Test match defeats, and another loss would mean Wales going an entire calendar year without winning a Test for the first time since 1937.
World champions South Africa, fresh from beating England, are overwhelming favourites to make it seven victories in the last eight games against Wales.
Gatland’s switches from the side crushed 52-20 by Autumn Nations Series opponents Australia see starts for wing Rio Dyer, outhalf Sam Costelow, lock Christ Tshiunza and number eight Taine Plumtree.
One positional change, meanwhile, sees wing Blair Murray move to fullback instead of Cameron Winnett.
Dyer wears the No 11 shirt worn by Murray in the last two games, with Costelow replacing Gareth Anscombe, Tshiunza taking over from an injured Adam Beard and Plumtree replacing Aaron Wainwright.
On the replacements’ bench, meanwhile, there is a role for uncapped Gloucester forward Freddie Thomas, and his club colleague Josh Hathaway is also included.
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A gulf in experience between the two teams is highlighted by the Wales matchday 23 having a total of 334 caps, whereas the Springboks bench alone boasts 431.
Gatland said: “Last week’s result hurts, and we are just as disappointed by it as the fans.
“Our focus now is on training and preparing well for our final game of this Autumn Nations Series.
“There were good elements that we can definitely build on going into Saturday, but we have to improve our accuracy.
“We know what a quality side South Africa are and the physicality they bring. This week we need to show real courage and front-up against the world champions.”
South Africa have made a change to their starting line-up with prop Ox Nche replaced by Wilco Louw in a frontrow reshuffle.
Nche received a nasty gash above the knee in the 29-20 win over England at Twickenham last weekend but was named to start against the Welsh when coach Rassie Erasmus revealed his team on Tuesday.
It has since been decided he will be rested with Louw to come in at tighthead prop and Thomas du Toit moving across the frontrow to the loosehead.
“Ox has been a key player for us this season and, given his high work-rate over the last few months, we opted to rest him for this clash,” Erasmus said.
“Wilco started last week’s match, and he’s been training well this week, so it makes sense to include him in the starting team and move Thomas to loosehead prop.”
South Africa have also completed a 32-15 win over Scotland in the autumn series, while opponents Wales, who named their team earlier on Wednesday, are on a record 11-match losing streak.
WALES (v South Africa): Blair Murray (Scarlets); Tom Rogers (Scarlets), Max Llewellyn (Gloucester), Ben Thomas (Cardiff), Rio Dyer (Dragons); Sam Costelow (Scarlets), Ellis Bevan (Cardiff); Gareth Thomas, Dewi Lake (capt), Archie Griffin (Bath); Will Rowlands (Racing 92), Christ Tshiunza (Exeter); James Botham (Cardiff), Jac Morgan (Ospreys), Taine Plumtree (Scarlets).
Replacements: Ryan Elias (Scarlets), Nicky Smith (Leicester), Keiron Assiratti (Cardiff), Freddie Thomas (Gloucester), Tommy Reffell (Leicester), Rhodri Williams (Dragons), Eddie James (Scarlets), Josh Hathaway (Gloucester).
SOUTH AFRICA: Aphelele Fassi; Cheslin Kolbe, Jesse Kriel, Damian de Allende, Kurt-Lee Arendse; Jordan Hendrikse, Jaden Hendrikse; Thomas du Toit, Johan Grobbelaar, Wilco Louw; Jean Kleyn, Franco Mostert; Siya Kolisi (capt), Elrigh Louw, Jasper Wiese.
Replacements: Malcolm Marx, Gerhard Steenekamp, Vincent Koch, Eben Etzebeth, RG Snyman, Cameron Hanekom, Cobus Reinach, Handre Pollard.
France coach Fabien Galthie has also made four changes from the side that beat the All Blacks for Friday night’s game against Argentina.
Number eight Gregory Alldritt, who captained the side at the Six Nations earlier this year in the absence of skipper Antoine Dupont, has been replaced by Toulon’s Charles Ollivon for the game at the Stade de France.
“He [Alldritt] was part of both wins against Japan and New Zealand. He is a captain, he is a leader, an exemplary player and will always be,” Galthie said.
“These are choices that are shared internally. There’s no controversy around that. There’s no controversy about [Matthieu] Jalibert either. He needed to recover and we’re talking to him.”
Leo Barre, Francois Cros and Uini Atonio have also been named in the starting line-up while the uncapped Marko Gazzotti has earned his first call-up as the 20-year-old makes the bench.
Barre started the win over Japan but was not in the 23-man squad for the 30-29 win over the All Blacks.
However, there was no place for Romain Buros who has not fully recovered from a thigh injury.
“He was honest with us when he said, ‘I’m not sure I’ll be 100 per cent’. As we can keep only five extra players, we couldn’t wait, we had to make a decision and it was Romain who took it,” Galthie added.
“I’d like to pay tribute to Romain’s courage, honesty and frankness in making this decision.”
Argentina thrashed Italy while they narrowly lost to Ireland and Galthie said the Pumas are having a great season.
“They’re not afraid, they’re made up of great players who travel to Italy, France and England. They are constantly adapting to the world rugby ecosystem,” he said.
“It’s very intelligent rugby ... It’s a very difficult team to play against, one of the best nations in the world.”
Argentina have made one change to their starting line-up from the defeat to Ireland, bringing in Gonzalo Garcia at scrumhalf to replace Gonzalo Bertranou.
Bertranou drops out of the matchday 23, with Lautaro Bazan Velez on the substitute bench as backup scrumhalf.
Left wing Mateo Carreras and flanker Marcos Kremer, who both returned to the squad on Monday, were also named among the replacements.
Kremer hobbled off in the second half of Argentina’s 29-28 home victory over South Africa in September and has missed the last three internationals with a knee injury.
The 24-year-old Carreras sat out the comprehensive 50-18 win over Italy in Udine and last Friday’s Test in Dublin because he stayed at home for the birth of his first child.
FRANCE (v Argentina): Leo Barre; Gabin Villiere, Gael Fickou, Yoram Moefana, Louis Bielle-Biarrey; Thomas Ramos, Antoine Dupont (capt); Jean-Baptiste Gros, Peato Mauvaka, Uini Atonio; Thibaud Flament, Emmanuel Meafou; Francois Cros, Paul Boudehent, Charles Ollivon.
Replacements: Julien Marchand, Reda Wardi, Georges-Henri Colombe, Alexandre Roumat, Mickel Guillard, Marko Gazzotti, Nolann Le Garrec, Emilien Gailleton.
ARGENTINA: Juan Cruz Mallia; Rodrigo Isgro, Lucio Cinti, Matias Moroni, Bautista Delguy; Tomas Albornoz, Gonzalo Garcia; Thomas Gallo, Julian Montoya (capt), Joel Sclavi; Guido Petti, Pedro Rubiolo; Pablo Matera, Juan Martin Gonzalez, Joaquin Oviedo.
Replacements: Ignacio Ruiz, Ignacio Calles, Francisco Gomez Kodela, Franco Molina, Marcos Kremer, Lautaro Bazan Velez, Santiago Carreras, Mateo Carreras.
