Wales call up Dee and Thomas as Lake injury clouds Springboks trip to Durban

Wales have reinforced their squad ahead of Saturday’s Nations Championship round-three fixture against world champions South Africa in Durban, calling up hooker Elliot Dee and second-row Freddie Thomas as injury concerns mount in the touring party.

Elliot Dee’s inclusion is directly linked to the fitness of captain Dewi Lake, who is expected to miss the match after sustaining a groin injury in last week’s round-two defeat to Argentina. The addition of Thomas is less clear-cut — no players have been released from the squad, leaving uncertainty over whether another second-row is also carrying a knock ahead of coach Steve Tandy naming his matchday 23 later this week.

South Africa arrive into the fixture on the back of consecutive bonus-point victories over England and Scotland, and Springboks director of rugby Rassie Erasmus acknowledged Wales as a side capable of causing problems despite the hosts’ strong early form in the competition.

“This squad shows an exciting mix of youth and experience, and while we are under no illusions about the threat Wales poses, we are looking forward to seeing what these players can do,” Erasmus said. “Wales put up a good fight in their Six Nations matches against Scotland and Ireland, and they defeated Italy in their final match of the tournament. They also beat Fiji in the Nations Championship before going down against Argentina in a competitive match last week, so they are on the rise and will come out with a point to prove this weekend.”

Wales’s recent record offers some grounds for optimism. A Six Nations win over Italy and a Nations Championship victory against Fiji demonstrated that Warren Gatland’s successor has a squad capable of competing, even if the step up to facing the reigning world champions in Durban represents a significantly stiffer test.

The match kicks off at 17:40 local time on Saturday, 18 July.