Wales captain Dewi Lake believes his side’s driving maul can provide a genuine attacking weapon against the Springboks, but only if they can withstand the physical onslaught expected from the back-to-back world champions in Saturday’s Nations Championship clash at Kings Park (5.40pm kickoff).
While South Africa’s formidable pack is widely expected to dominate the forward battle, Lake insisted Wales have shown enough during their tour to believe they can ask questions of the Springboks in one key area.
“I think our driving maul has been excellent,” Lake said ahead of Saturday’s showdown. “We’ve scored four tries in two games from it and we’ve scored against the Boks from it before. First, though, it’s about getting into those danger areas, into their 22, and I think our driving maul can cause them problems.”
That confidence comes despite Wales facing arguably the toughest assignment in world rugby against a Springbok side renowned for its power at scrum time and in the collisions.ย
“We know what’s coming from them,” Lake said. “They’re a dominant pack, they’re going to try to dominate the set piece and create opportunities from transition. For us it’s about keeping the focus on ourselves. We’ve still got things to prove on this tour and things to put right, so it’s about implementing our game.”
The visitors arrive in Durban looking to bounce back from last weekend’s defeat to Argentina, a performance Lake felt fell well below the physical standards required at Test level.
“For us, physicality is going to be a massive change. I said after the match in San Juan that we weren’t physical enough and we didn’t win those physical encounters. This weekend we’re going to have to. If we’re not at the races physically, it could get out of hand.”
Much of Wales’ hopes of competing with the Springboks will rest on the performance of their forwards, with Lake believing a dominant pack will also ease the pressure on a youthful backline.
“I think the best thing we can do is be dominant as a pack and give our flyhalf front-foot ball. It’s a lot easier to play No 10 when your pack is going forward than when it’s going backwards. If we can get a stable set piece, break the gain line and make metres with ball in hand, it’s much easier for him to control the game.”
Lake is no stranger to the unique challenge of touring South Africa, having featured during Wales’ 2022 series that included a famous victory in Bloemfontein.
“It’s an incredible place to play rugby,” he said. “You play this game to test yourself against the best and that’s exactly what we’re getting to do. The atmosphere is always unbelievable and it’s a challenge that every player looks forward to.”
For Wales, however, admiration alone will not be enough. If they are to end a tough tour on a high, Lake knows his side must first match the Springboks physically before unleashing the one weapon they believe can turn the contest in their favour โ a driving maul that has become one of their most potent attacking threats.
