Eramus says world rugby needs a 'strong Wales'

Autumn international: Wales v South Africa

Venue: Principality Stadium, Cardiff Date: Saturday, 29 November Kick-off: 15:10 GMT

Coverage: Listen on BBC Sounds, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru; live text commentary on BBC Sport website & app

Double World Cup-winning South Africa coach Rassie Erasmus says the global game needs a strong Wales.

The world champions arrive in Cardiff this weekend having won the Rugby Championship - and as the world's top ranked side for the third successive year.

In contrast, Welsh rugby is in disarray on and off the field with an alarming decline during the past couple of years, the senior men's side having lost 20 of its past 22 Tests.

"We need a strong Welsh team, they just have the tradition of loving to play the game," said Erasmus.

During Warren Gatland's first era in charge, Wales used to regularly compete and even defeat South Africa.

In 2019, Wales were pipped 19-16 in a World Cup semi-final by the Springboks in Japan.

Three years later, former head coach Wayne Pivac orchestrated an historic first Welsh men's senior Test away victory against South Africa in Bloemfontein.

Wales have since slipped to 11th in the world, while the domestic game faces major upheaval with the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) planning to cull one of the four existing professional sides.

"I don't understand what is going on in the Welsh set-up, I do not understand the politics, what works and what doesn't work," said Erasmus.

"Whatever's wrong off the field, you [Wales] have the guts, players and willpower.

"I know deep in the belly of the Welsh, there is fight and somewhere it's going to come right.

"There's something about the Welsh people. There's not a lot of people here but if you go outside [in Wales], you see some things of South Africa.

"Not everybody is wealthy and living a fantastic life, but they grind things out."

Erasmus highlighted occasions where Wales had got the better of him during his international career as a player and coach.

"I played in the opening game in the Millennium Stadium in 1999 and they thrashed us," said Erasmus.

"It was the first time ever we lost against the Welsh and Mark Taylor ran over the top of me.

"My first game as head coach was against the Welsh in Washington in 2018 and we lost. Then the next game here in Cardiff, we lost again.

"In the 2019 World Cup in the semi-final, only three points was the difference."

Former flanker Erasmus might have been part of the Springboks side beaten by Wales in 1999 in Cardiff, but he was also part of the squad who inflicted a record 96-13 defeat against Wales the previous year.

Many pundits are predicting a heavy Welsh defeat this weekend given the gulf between the two sides but the Springboks coach is not expecting a repeat of 27 years ago in Pretoria.

"I can't remember much about that 1998 game but then the next year they beat us, that's how crazy it is," said Erasmus.

"It was a depleted Wales side back them, a bit like a B team with a lot of injuries. I don't think it's going to be anything like that this weekend, it's going to be a grind.

"What do these guys have to lose? Other than manning up, putting a marker down and saying 'here we are' against the Springboks.

"That's what this Wales team is going to do. Steve Tandy [Wales head coach] looks like he is getting the structures together. We will not be underestimating Wales."

The match is being staged outside World Rugby's international window, meaning both Wales and South Africa are missing players who have returned to their clubs.

South Africa are without the likes of world player of the year Malcolm Marx, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Handre Pollard and Cheslin Kolbe.

Unlike Wales, who are missing 13 England and France-based players, South Africa possess considerable depth.

Flanker Siya Kolisi captains a side including number eight Jasper Wiese, centre Damian de Allende, full-back Damian Willemse and star fly-half Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.

The Springboks' bench has more caps (374) than Wales' entire matchday squad (306).

"Our starting team is an experienced team, the average age is 27,28 and average caps is close to 40," said Erasmus.

"Their caps is something like 11. It can either be a highly energetic Welsh team that gives nothing away and fights like hell and surprise us.

"Or we can grind it out if we have the right mindset and eventually try and get away on the scoreboard.

"We hope to win the game and fly home with heads high, but the Welsh will try and stop us."

The fixture has been criticised, especially as it clashes with a weekend of United Rugby Championship (URC) games, with Welsh and South African domestic sides involved in league action.

"I do think there's a place for games outside the window for us," said Erasmus.

"This fixture against Wales, many people might say it's a dead rubber. But it's a cap for Springbok players.

"With Wales, I've seen the stadium, the way they entertain and the band is there. It's something a player treasures.

"Even if people might say this is a bad Wales team and it's a second-string South African team, which I am not saying, it's still a Test cap."

While the Wales squad is made up purely of players from its four professional sides, Erasmus has released some players back to their franchises.

He says this affected his selection and forced him to have seven forwards on the bench.

"I don't think we planned to go seven forwards on the bench against Wales," said Erasmus.

"It's actually the only guys available after discussing with the franchises, it's almost forced on us.

"That's the chance we were willing to take for our franchises and for them to have a proper start in the URC. We want our teams to be winning at that level."

Erasmus has the luxury of stunning South African strength in depth with 49 players used in Test matches this year.

As Wales looks to overhaul its failing system, Erasmus outlines the success of the South African model.

"The first thing is, we have a lot of people in South Africa," said Erasmus.

"Sixty million people and we've got 450,000 rugby players in our country.

"Getting your pathways right is very important. You must credit the SARU (South African Rugby Union). They have appointed Dave Wessels, who ties the rugby plans together.

"They introduced elite player development programmes and it starts from under-15s. We identify players and they sit on the database. We start ranking them and doing roadmaps on them.

"All cultures are buying in and that can become a springboard, so we're fortunate."

South Africa are also fortunate they have a rugby genius in Erasmus who is rewriting the game's coaching manual.

Erasmus, 53, has shown he is able to rejuvenate his Springboks side to keep pushing the boundaries.

Wales will be hoping he does not inspire new heights for South Africa in Cardiff this Saturday.