Preview: South Africa v Wales

This Saturday's second Test in Pretoria is no longer about a maiden win in South Africa for Wales, but rather about restoring the balance that was brutally disturbed last week.

This Saturday's second Test in Pretoria is no longer about a maiden win in South Africa for Wales, but rather about restoring the balance that was brutally disturbed last week.

'Humiliating' and 'embarrassing' were the two words that Wales' coach Warren Gatland used to sum up the first Test. They have been used before in reference to Welsh rugby, on more than one occasion, but never by the Head Coach, a refreshing change then from the usual pre-scripted excuses that are trotted out by those in power.

Those words were the first step in Wales' bid to restore their pride, dignity and rugby reputation – not an easy task when playing a South African team positively bubbling with confidence and a self-belief that borders on the arrogant. Trust me when I say that will be the easiest part of that process for Wales, the real test is still to come.

It is no surprise Gatland has made changes, given that the majority of those on display last weekend produced an utterly inept performance. The straight-talking Kiwi had two options, one was to stick and hope for the best in terms of damage limitation, the second to gamble and attempt to beat the Springboks at their own game.

Wales' Six Nations success was built around free-flowing rugby that had little regard for too much structure. It came as a surprise therefore to see Wales play an overly structured forward-orientated game in Bloemfontein, a game that clearly doesn't suit their abilities. South Africa's forwards are, man for man, bigger than their Welsh counterparts and accepted the challenge laid down with glee.

What is more they beat Wales in nearly every facet of the game, convincingly too. In fact the only area Wales had any sort of ascendancy was at the scrum, but they will not enjoy that luxury this time around, not if Peter de Villiers is to be believed anyway. It was he who took the blame for a weak scrum, citing a lack of preparation time for the deficiency, and assured us that it would be stronger on Saturday.

The nature of those Welsh changes comes as a surprise however, especially given that Jamie Roberts, who will start at twelve, has not played a single game of professional rugby in that position. Kudos to Gatland for chancing his arm but his desire to get James Hook in the side, seemingly at any expense, could well cause more problems than it solves.

Not least because Hook is anything but familiar with the rigours of full-back play. That said such is the young man's talent that he is likely to take to it like a duck to water. The concerns will rather be over Roberts' ability to adapt to inside centre in time to confront Jean de Villiers, arguably the premier twelve in the world at present.

As for Gatland's solution to the openside position he has gone for what many thought would be the formula in the opening Test. However, as good a player Jonathan Thomas is one can't help but feel he will fail to match the impressive Luke Watson when it comes to the battle of the breakdown.

All those involved in the Wales camp admitted this was the main area of concern, having been so completely dominated at the breakdown last week. The hope is that a series of physically tough training sessions will help to address the issue at hand, but you can't get away from the fact Wales have no real cover for Martyn Williams – and this is a long-term problem that needs solving.

Whilst we can expect a much better performance from Wales, it will be a case of more of the same for South Africa. It is difficult to judge a side when the standard of opposition is below average, and with only Italy to come before the Tri-Nations De Villiers will be hoping for a stern test on Saturday. Anything less and he may be left with false impressions of players who are not capable of standing up to the likes of New Zealand and Australia.

That said the Springboks acquitted themselves well in Bloemfontein and another performance of the same calibre, with the added bonus of a solid scrum, and they will head towards tougher assignments in fine fettle.

Player to Watch:

For South Africa: Asked to take his place on the bench last week, but back in the starting line-up this time around Victor Matfield will be raring to go. It comes as a surprise he returns in favour of Andries Bekker, who shone on debut, but then De Villiers may want a closer look at the 'old' Matfield and Bakkies Botha partnership. One thing is for sure if Matfield is indeed competing with Bekker for the number five jersey, he will need a stellar display on Saturday. Bekker was superb last week and Matfield needs to prove he has not lost his touch whilst he has been lining his pockets in France.

For Wales: After last week's efforts, or lack thereof, you will want to watch every one of Wales' players who take the field, they all have a point or two to prove. But it is Gareth Delve that you will want to watch closely – a player winning his ninth cap and yet this is his first start in Test rugby. He was singled out by the South African team for his abrasive and physical approach and could just be the kind of player Wales need in Pretoria. It has been a long time in the making but now it is here Delve will make the most of his maiden Test start.

Head-to-Head: Warren Gatland has opted to gamble after last week's humiliation and the resulting head-to-head is an interesting one. Jamie Roberts and Jean de Villiers will lock horns at inside centre, a classic case of the young pretender looking to oust the seasoned master. De Villiers is the best inside centre in the world at present, although a lot of what he does goes unnoticed to most spectators. Yet Adi Jacobs summed it up perfectly last week when he said “Jean is a world class player and to have him on your inside makes my job so easy.” Take De Villiers out, in a legitimate manner, and you can severely reduce the danger of South Africa's backs. Roberts, who only has two caps to his name, has never played a professional game at inside centre and will quite simply sink or swim. The clever money says he will swim, such is the nature of the young man, but in order to do so he needs to be at the top of his game, else De Villiers will make the third year medical student look more like a schoolboy.

Previous Results:

2008: South Africa won 43-17 at Vodacom Park, Bloemfontein
2007: South Africa won 34-12 at Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
2005: South Africa won 33-16 at Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
2004: South Africa won 38-36 at Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
2004: South Africa won 53-18 at Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria
2002: South Africa won 19-8 at Newlands, Cape Town
2002: South Africa won 34-19 at Vodacom Park, Bloemfontein
2000: South Africa won 23-13 at Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
1999: Wales won 29-19 at Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
1998: South Africa won