Bok Kleyn is ready to tackle desperate dragons
Springbok lock Jean Kleyn says Wales are like a “desperate dog in the corner” and will be honger to bite their way out of trouble against South Africa at the Principality Stadium tomorrow at 7.40pm.
Coach Warren Gatland is under heavy pressure with his Dragons losing 11 matches in a row ahead of their clash with the world champions tomorrow.
On the other side of the pitch, SA are looking to finish the year on a high and make it three from three on their trip to Europe, after beating Scotland and England in the two matches before this one.
Kleyn, though, knows they’ll face a different beast tomorrow and says: “We can expect desperation from them [Wales].
“A dog in the corner is always dangerous, so we’re definitely preparing for a big fight, especially in the first 20 minutes.
“They are going to come out with a lot of emotion, so it’s going to be tough, but we have plans in place to deal with their threats, and we’ve been working on areas that could make us a little more threatening.”
Wales: 15 Blair Murray, 14 Tom Rogers, 13 Max Llewellyn, 12 Ben Thomas, 11 Rio Dyer, 10 Sam Costelow, 9 Ellis Bevan, 8 Taine Plumtree, 7 Jac Morgan, 6 James Botham, 5 Will Rowlands, 4 Christ Tshiunza, 3 Gareth Thomas, 2 Dewi Lake (captain), 1 Archie Griffin.
Replacements: 16 Ryan Elias, 17 Nicky Smith, 18 Keiron Assiratti, 19 Freddie Thomas, 20 Tommy Reffell, 21 Rhodri Williams, 22 Eddie James, 23 Josh Hathaway.
🏉 Wales name their team to face the World Champions
— Ultimate Rugby (@ultimaterugby) November 20, 2024
🗞️ Full team news below ✍️ pic.twitter.com/P0f6deJ1C1
South Africa: 15 Aphelele Fassi, 14 Cheslin Kolbe, 13 Jessie Kriel, 12 Damian de Allende, 11 Kurt-Lee Arendse, 10 Jordan Hendrikse, 9 Jaden Hendrikse, 8 Jasper Wiese, 7 Elrigh Louw, 6 Siya Kolisi (captain), 5 Franco Mostert, 4 Jean Kleyn, 3 Wilco Louw, 2 Johan Grobbelaar, 1 Thomas du Toit.
Replacements: 16 Malcolm Marx, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Vincent Koch, 19 Eben Etzebeth, 20 RG Snyman, 21 Cameron Hanekom, 22 Cobus Reinach, 23 Handre Pollard.
Brothers in arms in Cardiff on Saturday 👍#Springboks #ForeverGreenForeverGold
— Springboks (@Springboks) November 19, 2024