Wales team to play South Africa confirmed: Wainwright back fit as 12 changes made

Wednesday, 26 November 2025 at 12:07

byHarry Tovey

Steve Tandy’s Wales side end their autumn campaign on Saturday afternoon as they entertain back-to-back World Cup champions, South Africa, at Principality Stadium.

However, after their somewhat decent outing against New Zealand last Saturday, Tandy has selected a starting XV with 13 players absent. This is because 12 of the players are based in England, and Adam Beard is unavailable as he plays in the Top 14.

There’s no surprise that this fixture has been heavily criticised. This is due to the Test being on the same weekend as the four professional clubs- Cardiff, Dragons, Ospreys, and Scarlets, all playing crucial United Rugby Championship fixtures.

Among some of the changes that Tandy has been forced to make are eight his starting XV that lost 52-26 against the All Blacks last week. One of the main talking points from the team announcement is that Aaron Wainwright is back in the starting XV after dropping out following the Captain's Run last Friday.

Attack coach Matt Sherratt confirmed the fitness of the 28-year-old on Tuesday afternoon at the Vale Resort, and he is joined in the back row by Cardiff Rugby's Alex Mann and Scarlets' Taine Plumtree. Ben Carter and Rhys Davies pair up in the second row, with both players making their first appearances for Wales this autumn.

Tandy said:

“What we want to see from the boys [on Saturday] is the same type of effort and performance as we did last weekend. I think we showed a lot of attacking intent, a lot of toughness in the way we went about lots of the defensive effort as well, to give the supporters something to shout about.

“The fans on the weekend were electric. I think the boys really responded to how good the support was. When you see the charge, in and around when we score, but also when we're going deep into the defensive set, when they're chanting ‘Wales’, it's just something that's unbelievable, and I'd like to thank them for all the support they've given the boys.

"We’re going into the last game, which we're all excited about. The players love the fact of playing at Principality Stadium in front of the best support in the world."

On Danny Southworth being in line to make his debut Tandy added: “What's impressed me about Danny, first of all, was his performances for Cardiff at the start of the year, and then coming into the campaign the way he's adapted to the detail, the way he's fitted into the group and brings an energy, but he’s also a quality player too.”

Wales Team to play South Africa:

15. Blair Murray (Scarlets– 13 caps)

14. Ellis Mee (Scarlets– 3 caps)

13. Joe Roberts (Scarlets– 6 caps)

12. Joe Hawkins (Scarlets– 6 caps)

11. Rio Dyer (Dragons– 23 caps)

10. Dan Edwards (Ospreys– 6 caps)

9. Kieran Hardy (Ospreys – 27 caps)

1. Gareth Thomas (Ospreys- 43 caps)

2. Dewi Lake (Ospreys– 25 caps) Captain

3. Keiron Assiratti (Cardiff Rugby- 18 caps)

4. Ben Carter (Dragons- 13 caps)