Rugby World Cup 2023: Wales destroyed by South Africa in warm-up

Jesse Kriel of South Africa runs with the ball during the Summer International match between Wales and South Africa. Photo / Getty Images.

Captain Siya Kolisi made a successful return from long-term injury and both Jesse Kriel and Canan Moodie scored two tries as South Africa pulverised Wales 52-16 in their latest Rugby World Cup warm-up game this morning.

The fitness and sharpness of Kolisi and two other Springboks players recently back from injury - halfback Jaden Hendrikse and prop Ox Nche - was a big subplot of the match in Cardiff, and all three appeared to come through the game unscathed.

Kolisi, the World Cup-winning skipper from 2019, played just the first half for his first appearance since undergoing surgery on a serious knee injury in late April, and set up the opening try to hooker Malcolm Marx in the fourth minute with a neat offload.

Kolisi appeared ready for the Boks’ title defence in France, starting next month, after a quicker-than-expected recovery.

“I’ve been praying, God has been good to me, and my wife has been by my side,” he said. “The medical team from the Sharks and also the Springboks, they just believed.

“It’s belief, mental belief. Also the guys that have been through it, whenever I was in a tough place, saying that I could get through it.”

Marx’s was the first of eight tries conceded by an under-strength Welsh team that started with a backline containing only 39 caps and especially couldn’t handle the arrival of the “Bomb Squad” - the huge Boks replacement forwards which included Nche - early in the second half.

From the moment, at 12-9, when Wales winger Rio Dyer gave away a penalty try in the 34th minute for deliberately knocking the ball out of touch in the right corner as Moodie attempted to score his second try, South Africa never looked back and the floodgates opened for their record win over Wales in Cardiff.

Kriel touched down in the 35th minute for his first international try in five years, after Wales centre Mason Grady lost the ball in his own in-goal area, and was on hand to finish off another try following Pieter-Steph du Toit’s interception near his own tryline.

Du Toit, the 20-year-old Moodie and replacement fullback Damian Willemse scored tries in an 11-minute span from the 58th minute as the Welsh tired.

With Willemse in the sin bin after clashing heads with Dyer in a horrific-looking collision, replacement prop Sam Parry went over for Wales’ second try.

Hendrikse came off after 62 minutes in a solid return game after dislocating his collar bone in April.

South Africa complete their World Cup preparations with a match against New Zealand at Twickenham on Friday.

Wales coach Warren Gatland will announce his World Cup squad on Monday on the back of a chastening match for his young players.

“It doesn’t really matter about the teams,” Wales captain Jac Morgan said. “We are disappointed with that, there were mistakes that we’ll need to work on, and we’ve got a few weeks to sort them out.

“There were a lot of learnings from that one.”