Jan de Koning draws a pointed parallel between Saturday's Nations Championship fixture at Kings Park and the 2022 Bloemfontein upset — the last time Wales won on South African soil. That day, Nienaber fielded a raw, debut-heavy squad and Wales nicked it 13–12. Saturday's Bok team carries a strikingly similar complexion: four uncapped players and several more in single digits for caps, up against a Welsh side that has been together through the Six Nations and three subsequent Tests. The cap tallies across both XVs are almost identical, but de Koning's concern is cohesion — Wales arrive as a unit, the Boks arrive as a collection. He also contextualises the 73–0 Cardiff rout last November as a misleading data point: that Welsh side was in freefall, the Boks were a settled, experienced outfit. Neither condition applies this weekend. With five Boks and six Welshmen carrying memories of Bloemfontein 2022, and Wales showing genuine signs of revival, de Koning isn't prepared to take the result for granted.
2022 déjà vu? Why Saturday's inexperienced Bok squad rings alarm bells against a resurgent Wales
De Koning flags uncomfortable parallels between Saturday's inexperienced Bok lineup and the 2022 Bloemfontein upset, arguing that a settled, improving Welsh side could exploit a Bok team light on cohesion — making the 73–0 Cardiff blowout a dangerously misleading frame of reference.
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Boks regroup in Johannesburg ahead of Nations Championship opener against England
The Springboks wrap up a week of Johannesburg training on Thursday and reassemble Sunday for Test-week preparations ahead of their Nations Championship opener against England at Ellis Park on July 4.
Erasmus: 'We don't see the Nations Championship as a competition'
Erasmus says the Boks won't adjust their approach to chase Nations Championship log points — each Test is treated as a standalone match, with squad rotation across the window as the priority over competition standings.
Boks remain top but All Blacks close gap to 2.90 points after Nations Championship opener
South Africa stay top of the World Rugby Men's Rankings at 93.94 points but New Zealand have cut the gap to 2.90 after beating France, while Scotland climb to equal their all-time high of fifth following a record 47-38 win over Argentina in Córdoba.
Springboks could lose world No.1 ranking on Nations Championship opening weekend
The Boks' world No.1 ranking, intact since September, faces its first real test on the opening weekend of the Nations Championship — the piece breaks down exactly how they could be knocked off top spot.
Don't be fooled by England's Six Nations finish — this is a genuine test for the Boks
A well-argued warning against Bok fan overconfidence ahead of the Nations Championship opener — England's Six Nations implosion had clear context, their Paris performance suggests they're back, and the Boks' seasonal rust is a real variable. Erasmus's wariness is well-founded.