Van den Berg warns Wales will ‘chase the lost causes’

SPRINGBOK scrumhalf Morne van den Berg says South Africa cannot afford to underestimate Wales in Saturday's Test at the Principality Stadium, warning that a patched-together Welsh side will still bring the trademark fight, physicality and defiance that South African teams have come to expect in the north.

- ROWAN CALLAGHAN

Wales enter the Test under severe selection strain, missing 13 players who have returned to their franchises in England and France. But despite the gulf in depth, experience and recent form, the diminutive No 9 insists the Springboks’ standards - not Wales’ weaknesses - must drive their performance.

“We're in the process of building our game and each week has its own theme and own work-on, so the environment is great, the atmosphere is good, but it’s all about building the ame and getting better each week,” he said

Van den Berg has Ried enough URC rugby to know exactly what awaits in Cardiff, regardless of which names appear on Steve Tandy’s team sheet. For him, the reputation of Welsh players speaks louder than their current selection challenges.