Springboks Eye Third Straight Nations Championship Win as Wales Visit Durban

The Springboks will look to extend their unbeaten start to the inaugural Nations Championship when they face Wales at Hollywoodbets Kings Park in Durban on Saturday afternoon.

Kick-off is scheduled for 17:40, with South Africa chasing a third consecutive victory after opening the tournament with convincing wins over England (45–21) and Scotland (42–28). Those results have lifted Rassie Erasmus’ side to the top of their pool heading into Round Three.

While the Springboks have already built strong momentum, Erasmus has once again placed his faith in the squad’s depth by including four uncapped players in the starting XV. Fly-half Vusi Moyo, wing Jaco Williams, lock Ruben van Heerden and tighthead prop Carlu Sadie are all set to make their Test debuts alongside experienced campaigners led by captain Pieter-Steph du Toit.

South Africa will, however, be without several established stars, including Eben Etzebeth, Franco Mostert and Handré Pollard, who remain sidelined through injury.

Wales travel to Durban looking to bounce back after a mixed start to the competition. They defeated Fiji in their opening match before suffering defeat to Argentina, leaving them with a difficult challenge against one of the tournament’s early front-runners.

With home advantage, impressive recent form and a chance to tighten their grip on the top of the standings, the Springboks will be expected to deliver another strong performance. Wales, meanwhile, will be hoping to spoil the party and hand the world champions their first defeat of the Nations Championship.

Springboks 23 – men squad to take on Wales on Saturday 18 July 2026 (Image: Springboks.Rugby)