Wales have moved to strengthen their forward options ahead of this weekend’s Nations Championship clash against South Africa, with experienced Dragons hooker Elliot Dee set to fly to Durban as injury cover.
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The news was first reported by WalesOnline, with Dee expected to join Steve Tandy’s squad after captain Dewi Lake picked up an injury during Saturday’s narrow 35-31 defeat to Argentina in San Juan. Lake was forced off in the second half after an impressive display, leaving Wales sweating on the fitness of one of their most influential players ahead of arguably their toughest fixture of the championship.
Speaking after the defeat in Argentina, Tandy admitted the extent of the injury was still unclear, with a precise injury update expected to be delivered in the next 24 hours.
Ryan Elias and Evan Lloyd are the other specialist hookers in Wales’ squad, but Dee’s arrival provides valuable experience should Lake be ruled out of facing the world champion Springboks.
The 32-year-old boasts 55 Wales caps but was a surprise omission from Tandy’s original 48-man extended squad despite enjoying one of his strongest seasons in recent years with the Dragons. Dee played a key role in the region’s run to the EPCR Challenge Cup semi-finals and looked back to his best throughout the campaign.
Ironically, Dee has already travelled to South Africa this summer after being selected for the Barbarians’ fixture against the Springboks. A week later, he started for the famous invitational side against Wales in London, underlining that he has remained firmly in the international conversation despite missing the initial call-up.
His last Test appearance for Wales came against England in the final round of the 2025 Six Nations. Should Dewi Lake fail to recover in time, Jac Morgan is expected to take over the captaincy when Wales face the Springboks in Durban, while Dee could be in line for an immediate return to the Welsh matchday squad as they look to pull off a major upset against the reigning world champions.
