How Taylor Swift played a part in the Springboks’ clash with Wales at Twickenham
A Taylor Swift concert at the Principality Stadium has forced the Wales v South Africa Test to be moved to Twickenham.
Wales have been forced to play their one-off Test against the Springboks at Twickenham in June as their Principality Stadium in Cardiff is unavailable.
The Boks are set to feature in their first match since their 2023 Rugby World Cup final triumph on Saturday, June 22 but it won’t be at Wales’ traditional home venue due to Taylor Swift performing there on Tuesday, June 18.
Foo Fighters also performing at the Principality Stadium
Adding to that, the Foo Fighters will be also appearing at the Principality Stadium the following week.
The showdown between South Africa and Wales will be part of a double-header at the venue that day and will be followed by an encounter between the Barbarians and Fiji.
The Welsh will be using their clash with the Boks as part of their preparations for their two-Test tour of Australia where they are set to meet the Wallabies in Sydney on July 6 and in Melbourne a week later.
Adding a spanner in the works for Wales head coach Warren Gatland is that this season’s United Rugby Championship final will be played on the same day as the Test against the Boks.
If one of the Welsh sides advance to the URC final then those players will not be available to be selected to play for their country against the world champions.
Ospreys highest-placed Welsh region
The Ospreys are the highest-placed Welsh region in seventh spot on the URC table, with the top eight of the 16-team competition advancing to the play-offs.
Meanwhile, Cardiff, Scarlets and Dragons are languishing in 12th, 14th and 15th positions respectively. The same scenario would apply to the South Africa sides if one of their franchises would qualify for the URC final.
The Bulls and Stormers are second and sixth respectively and it would be a nightmare situation for Bok head coach Rassie Erasmus if a repeat of 2022 was realised when the two aforementioned teams contested the inaugural URC final.
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