Warren Gatland makes four changes to Wales starting team for South Africa clash

Wales head coach Warren Gatland has made four changes to the starting line-up for Saturday’s clash against South Africa as questions remain about his future in the job.

Gatland has overseen a record 11 successive Test match defeats, and another loss would mean Wales going an entire calendar year without winning a Test for the first time since 1937.

World champions South Africa, fresh from beating England, are overwhelming favourites to make it seven victories in the last eight games against Wales.

Switches

Gatland’s switches from the side crushed 52-20 by Autumn Nations Series opponents Australia see starts for wing Rio Dyer, fly-half Sam Costelow, lock Christ Tshiunza and number eight Taine Plumtree.

One positional change, meanwhile, sees wing Blair Murray move to full-back instead of Cameron Winnett.

Dyer wears the number 11 shirt worn by Murray in the last two games, with Costelow replacing Gareth Anscombe, Tshiunza taking over from an injured Adam Beard and Plumtree replacing Aaron Wainwright.

On the replacements’ bench, meanwhile, there is a role for uncapped Gloucester forward Freddie Thomas, and his club colleague Josh Hathaway is also included.

A gulf in experience between the two teams is highlighted by the Wales match-day 23 having a total of 334 caps, whereas the Spirngboks bench alone boasts 431.

Hurt

Gatland said: “Last week’s result hurts, and we are just as disappointed by it as the fans.

“Our focus now is on training and preparing well for our final game of this Autumn Nations Series.

“There were good elements that we can definitely build on going into Saturday, but we have to improve our accuracy.

“We know what a quality side South Africa are and the physicality they bring. This week we need to show real courage and front-up against the world champions.”

Team: B Murray (Scarlets); T Rogers (Scarlets), M Llewellyn (Glouceste), B Thomas (Cardiff), R Dyer (Dragons); S Costelow (Scarlets), E Bevan (Cardiff); G Thomas (Ospreys), D Lake (Ospreys, capt), A Griffin (Bath), W Rowlands (Racing 92), C Tshiunza (Exeter), J Botham (Cardiff), J Morgan (Ospreys), T Plumtree (Scarlets).

Replacements: R Elias (Scarlets), N Smith (Leicester), K Assiratti (Cardiff), F Thomas (Gloucester), T Reffell (Leicester), R Williams (Dragons), E James (Scarlets), J Hathaway (Gloucester).