Wales rookie: ‘Playing the Springboks at Twickenham is what you dream of’
Wales flanker Taine Plumtree.
Rookie Wales loose forward Taine Plumtree is eager to test himself against South Africa when they meet in their highly anticipated Test at Twickenham on Saturday.
After a forgetful Six Nations campaign, in which they finished at the bottom of the standings after losing all five of their matches in the Championship, Wales will be underdogs against the world champion Springboks.
Wales head coach Warren Gatland has named an inexperienced side for the encounter while the Boks have 10 players in their squad who were in their matchday 23 when they beat the All Blacks in last year’s Rugby World Cup final in Paris.
Plumtree is a former New Zealand U20 representative but joined the Scarlets last June and has gone on to make two appearances for Wales at international level.
Back to full fitness
He suffered a shoulder injury shortly before the 2023 World Cup but has made a full recovery and is keen to represent the country of his birth against the world champions.
“Facing the Springboks is obviously going to be a challenge but it’s the best time for us as a team to really show what we are made of and to really test ourselves,” Plumtree said.
“Playing against the Springboks at Twickenham is what you dream of doing. I’m just going to go into this week feeling I’ve got nothing to lose, and we’ve got nothing to lose, and hopefully put out a performance that will help us to build into the summer tour.”
Wales are set to face the Queensland Reds after this weekend’s clash with the Boks before taking on the Wallabies in back-to-back Tests in Sydney and Melbourne next month.
“Any team that plays against the Springboks knows that they want to control the game through their pack and how physical they can be,” Plumtree said.
“Regardless of who they pick that’s going to be their mindset. Our mindset has to be going up against that and giving it back to them.
“When my Dad (John Plumtree, coach to the Sharks) came over to play us (Scarlets) I went to spend a bit of time with him. Then I went to stay with him in London before their EPCR Challenge Cup final.
“It was quite cool because I would go down to breakfast and the players would come up and shake my hand and give my Mum a hug. I got to know a few of the boys.
“Phepsi Buthelezi is a good man and I’m stoked for him that he’s made the South African team. Aphelele Fassi is starting at full-back and it will be good to see them out there.
“Eben Etzebeth is one of the best rugby players in the world and what a way to test yourself by playing against players like him.”
Looking forward to playing for Wales again
Plumtree proved his fitness with a late run of matches for the Scarlets at the end of their recent United Rugby Championship campaign and is looking forward to being in action for Wales again.
“Our backs are against the wall, but I think the only way for us is forward. How we do that is something that we as a team and a management group will sort out amongst ourselves,” the 24-year-old said.
“Right now we just want to bring back that real fight that Wales have always had. Hopefully, throughout the next four games we can show that we are building into the Autumn.
“If you aren’t a close knit team you aren’t going to be able to trust each other on the field. I’m not saying that we don’t, we are close, but it’s just something that we need to keep building on as we go.
“Gats wants us to get back to being ourselves. We are here for a reason – because we are good rugby players. We just need to be able to play with a confidence that we can show each other that we can play well.”
READ MORE: Wales team: Dewi Lake returns as Warren Gatland backs rookie nine against Springboks
