Open the Boks: Take The Money!

One win. One draw. Twenty-One defeats.

There's no flattering angle to take on Wales' international record against South Africa. It's the most comprehensive domination in test rugby. Even Scotland have a considerably better record against the Springboks than Wales.

I recall being picked up and waved like a flag by a giant, delirious stranger when Ed Morrison blew the final whistle on the 26th of June, 1999. In the inaugural match at the Millennium Stadium, Wales had not only won - they had comprehensively dispatched Gary Teichmann's side, the visitors even suffering the indignity of running in a late "consolation" try as they went down 29-19. The reigning world champions were not at full strength, true - but they had still been widely expected to deal with Graham Henry's upstarts in traditional fashion. It was a seismic result - but the aftershocks stubbornly refused to come. Normal service was quickly resumed.

No surprise, then, that 1999 should feature prominently in previews of tomorrow's money-spinning friendly at the same venue. Never mind that the Boks have won here five times since; the talk is all about their lack of preparation, their three new caps, the "development" feel of their match 22...

Yeah, right...

Wales are themselves under-powered, with four Lions missing. We may feel the need to move on from a reliance on Shane Williams, but the fact remains that the absentee wing is the one Welsh player that South African defenders genuinely fear. Similarly, there will be warm glows amongst the Bok forwards at the absence of Gethin Jenkins and Martin Williams from the lineup. If this is a clash of the understudies, then that cuts both ways.

None of that, however, gets Wales off the hook. They must win this game, plain and simple. If they are to be taken seriously abroad - starting with New Zealand this month - then under-strength visitors to Cardiff must be repulsed, regardless of circumstance, and regardless of history. Moral victories and heroic downfalls no longer cut the mustard with most Welsh fans, and thank goodness for that. Wales face a simple Boolean. A one-point defeat would be abject failure; a one-point victory, pass with distinction. Their second-best-ever (a draw) will not do at all.

It's time for another earthquake...