Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
NZ NZ

Ex-Springboks skipper's bold prediction with all 4 Welsh clubs in SA

By Sam Smith
(Photo by Huw Fairclough/Getty Images)

Former Springboks captain Bobby Skinstad believes the hoodoo that has seen clubs from Wales fail to win in South Africa in the URC is set to be broken this weekend. Despite Jacques Niebaner’s Boks playing England at Twickenham and Wayne Pivac’s Wales hosting Australia at the Principality on Saturday, the URC is kicking back into action after its recent break.

ADVERTISEMENT

The resumption of the league will very much have a Wales versus South Africa feel to it as all four Welsh regions have been scheduled to play games away in the southern hemisphere, a place that hasn’t been a happy hunting ground since Cardiff, Scarlets, Ospreys and Dragons started travelling there in 2021/22.

All eight fixtures in South Africa last season between the four Welsh regions and the Bulls, Lions, Sharks and Stormers were lost by the visitors, and an opportunity to change this pattern is now on the horizon with Cardiff, Dragons, Ospreys and Scarlets all back in South Africa to play two games each over the next two weekends.

Video Spacer

Video Spacer

Skinstad believes the Welsh team he once played for now has the best chance of claiming a landmark South African scalp in the URC. It was 2004 when the 42-cap back-rower, who skippered his country 12 times, had a spell with the Dragons, making nine appearances.

Claiming that the side from Rodney Parade are well placed to become the first Welsh team to win a URC game in South Africa when they take on the Emirates Lions in Johannesburg on Sunday, Skinstad said: “They have won their last two games in the competition while the Lions have been up and down, either on fire or sort of non-commital to arriving at kick-off,” said Skinstad.

Related

“So if the Dragons can make a really good start, they will be comfortable that they can knock them over. With the kind of confidence they have now, they will think they can go there and win that game. What I like about them is they are playing 80-minute games this season whereas they fell off a little bit last season.

“Of the four Welsh sides this weekend, they would probably be the one that would say ‘Let’s go and pick up the five points’. I definitely think it will be the closest of the four games in South Africa this weekend.

ADVERTISEMENT

“Playing at altitude is always a problem. Even for us coastal boys, going up from Cape Town or Durban, it is difficult, so that will be a little bit different. It’s not quite Newport up there at 1,000 metres above sea level. But if you stay in the game, it’s been proven you can beat it. The second wind becomes the third wind.”

Dragons were beaten 55-20 at the Bulls and 51-3 at the Sharks during their South African trip earlier this year but their frame of mind on this latest trip is very different now that Dean Ryan is no longer in charge. They are currently placed in tenth having won three of their seven matches this season.

Elsewhere, the Scarlets will take on the Stormers in Cape Town on Friday, with the Ospreys visiting the Vodacom Bulls at Pretoria’s Loftus Versfeld the following day and then Cardiff away to the Cell C Sharks in Durban on Sunday.

I would say South Africa would be delighted with four wins, but three out of four is slightly more likely. As I mentioned, the Lions are the ones that might be targeted, although they have got a young squad that have proven they can beat anyone on their day,” added Skinstad.

ADVERTISEMENT

“The Stormers should have enough, but I would also see the Scarlets aiming at it as a surprise win for them away from home. I think we are going to see a titanic struggle in that game. There is absolutely no chance the Stormers are going ‘Ok, this is a shoe-in, I’ll pick up my points and move on’. They are aware that the Scarlets are a dangerous side when they get their game together. So it’s all hands to the pumps for the Stormers.”

This weekend’s fixtures are the first of back-to-back URC games for the Welsh teams out in South Africa, with Sharks vs Ospreys, Stormers vs Dragons, Bulls vs Cardiff and Lions vs Scarlets to follow in round nine.

ADVERTISEMENT

Join free

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | Episode 6

Sam Warburton | The Big Jim Show | Full Episode

Japan Rugby League One | Sungoliath v Eagles | Full Match Replay

Japan Rugby League One | Spears v Wild Knights | Full Match Replay

Boks Office | Episode 10 | Six Nations Final Round Review

Aotearoa Rugby Podcast | How can New Zealand rugby beat this Ireland team

Beyond 80 | Episode 5

Rugby Europe Men's Championship Final | Georgia v Portugal | Full Match Replay

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

J
Jon 1 hours ago
Jake White: Are modern rugby players actually better?

This is the problem with conservative mindsets and phycology, and homogenous sports, everybody wants to be the same, use the i-win template. Athlete wise everyone has to have muscles and work at the gym to make themselves more likely to hold on that one tackle. Do those players even wonder if they are now more likely to be tackled by that player as a result of there “work”? Really though, too many questions, Jake. Is it better Jake? Yes, because you still have that rugby of ole that you talk about. Is it at the highest International level anymore? No, but you go to your club or checkout your representative side and still engage with that ‘beautiful game’. Could you also have a bit of that at the top if coaches encouraged there team to play and incentivized players like Damian McKenzie and Ange Capuozzo? Of course we could. Sadly Rugby doesn’t, or didn’t, really know what direction to go when professionalism came. Things like the state of northern pitches didn’t help. Over the last two or three decades I feel like I’ve been fortunate to have all that Jake wants. There was International quality Super Rugby to adore, then the next level below I could watch club mates, pulling 9 to 5s, take on the countries best in representative rugby. Rugby played with flair and not too much riding on the consequences. It was beautiful. That largely still exists today, but with the world of rugby not quite getting things right, the picture is now being painted in NZ that that level of rugby is not required in the “pathway” to Super Rugby or All Black rugby. You might wonder if NZR is right and the pathway shouldn’t include the ‘amateur’, but let me tell you, even though the NPC might be made up of people still having to pull 9-5s, we know these people still have dreams to get out of that, and aren’t likely to give them. They will be lost. That will put a real strain on the concept of whether “visceral thrill, derring-do and joyful abandon” type rugby will remain under the professional level here in NZ. I think at some point that can be eroded as well. If only wanting the best athlete’s at the top level wasn’t enough to lose that, shutting off the next group, or level, or rugby players from easy access to express and showcase themselves certainly will. That all comes back around to the same question of professionalism in rugby and whether it got things right, and rugby is better now. Maybe the answer is turning into a “no”?

34 Go to comments
j
john 3 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

But here in Australia we were told Penney was another gun kiwi coach, for the Tahs…….and yet again it turned out the kiwi coach was completely useless. Another con job on Australian rugby. As was Robbie Deans, as was Dave Rennie. Both coaches dumped from NZ and promoted to Australia as our saviour. And the Tahs lap them up knowing they are second rate and knowing that under pressure when their short comings are exposed in Australia as well, that they will fall in below the largest most powerful province and choose second rate Tah players to save their jobs. As they do and exactly as Joe Schmidt will do. Gauranteed. Schmidt was dumped by NZ too. That’s why he went overseas. That why kiwi coaches take jobs in Australia, to try and prove they are not as bad as NZ thought they were. Then when they get found out they try and ingratiate themselves to NZ again by dragging Australian teams down with ridiculous selections and game plans. NZ rugby’s biggest problem is that it can’t yet transition from MCaw Cheatism. They just don’t know how to try and win on your merits. It is still always a contest to see how much cheating you can get away with. Without a cheating genius like McCaw, they are struggling. This I think is why my wise old mate in NZ thinks Robertson will struggle. The Crusaders are the nursery of McCaw Cheatism. Sean Fitzpatrick was probably the father of it. Robertson doesn’t know anything else but other countries have worked it out.

15 Go to comments
A
Adrian 5 hours ago
Will the Crusaders' decline spark a slow death for New Zealand rugby?

Thanks Nick The loss of players to OS, injury and retirement is certainly not helping the Crusaders. Ditto the coach. IMO Penny is there to hold the fort and cop the flak until new players and a new coach come through,…and that's understood and accepted by Penny and the Crusaders hierarchy. I think though that what is happening with the Crusaders is an indicator of what is happening with the other NZ SRP teams…..and the other SRP teams for that matter. Not enough money. The money has come via the SR competition and it’s not there anymore. It's in France, Japan and England. Unless or until something is done to make SR more SELLABLE to the NZ/Australia Rugby market AND the world rugby market the $s to keep both the very best players and the next rung down won't be there. They will play away from NZ more and more. I think though that NZ will continue to produce the players and the coaches of sufficient strength for NZ to have the capacity to stay at the top. Whether they do stay at the top as an international team will depend upon whether the money flowing to SRP is somehow restored, or NZ teams play in the Japan comp, or NZ opts to pick from anywhere. As a follower of many sports I’d have to say that the organisation and promotion of Super Rugby has been for the last 20 years closest to the worst I’ve ever seen. This hasn't necessarily been caused by NZ, but it’s happened. Perhaps it can be fixed, perhaps not. The Crusaders are I think a symptom of this, not the cause

15 Go to comments
T
Trevor 8 hours ago
Will forgotten Wallabies fit the Joe Schmidt model?

Thanks Brett.. At last a positive article on the potential of Wallaby candidates, great to read. Schmidt’s record as an international rugby coach speaks for itself, I’m somewhat confident he will turn the Wallaby’s fortunes around …. on the field. It will be up to others to steady the ship off the paddock. But is there a flaw in my optimism? We have known all along that Australia has the players to be very competitive with their international rivals. We know that because everyone keeps telling us. So why the poor results? A question that requires a definitive answer before the turn around can occur. Joe Schmidt signed on for 2 years, time to encompass the Lions tour of 2025. By all accounts he puts family first and that’s fair enough, but I would wager that his 2 year contract will be extended if the next 18 months or so shows the statement “Australia has the players” proves to be correct. The new coach does not have a lot of time to meld together an outfit that will be competitive in the Rugby Championship - it will be interesting to see what happens. It will be interesting to see what happens with Giteau law, the new Wallaby coach has already verbalised that he would to prefer to select from those who play their rugby in Australia. His first test in charge is in July just over 3 months away .. not a long time. I for one wish him well .. heaven knows Australia needs some positive vibes.

21 Go to comments
TRENDING
TRENDING Diamond demands law change while accusing Tigers of illegal activity Diamond demands law change while accusing Tigers of illegal activity
Search