Cape Town - Springbok loose forward Kwagga Smith says he’s expecting some extra spice from the home nations during their End of Year Tour after the South Africans’ 2-1 Series victory against the British & Irish Lions earlier this year.
The Boks will kick off their Outgoing Tour against Wales on Saturday, before squaring off with Scotland and England.
Speaking during a virtual media briefing yesterday, Smith said that while the Boks are fully focused on the task at hand, they are expecting their northern counterparts to come at them with a bit more sting after a dramatic Lions Series.
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"We are just trying to focus and take it game-by-game, but we know they will come out with some regret over what happened in the Series."
At the weekend, Wales suffered a 54-16 thrashing at the hands of the All Blacks at Principality Stadium.
The unflattering result wasn’t the only negative for the Welsh, with captain Alun Wyn Jones in doubt to face the Boks after suffering a shoulder injury against the Kiwis.
On Wyn Jones possibly missing out on the clash, Smith said: "It would be a big loss for Wales, but you never know…it might be something small and that means he could be ready for the weekend.
"There are also are guys that can step into his place…they have a lot of leaders there who can fill his role."
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Bok assistant coach Deon Davids wasn’t reading too much into Wales’ thumping against New Zealand, either.
“At this level, each game brings its own uniqueness. Playing against New Zealand is always going to be very tough,” Davids said.
"I think it was a very competitive match. Wales got a few injuries that might have stopped their momentum going into that game, but it was a very clinical performance from New Zealand.
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"We know that Wales will be up for it this week, we know they will be very competitive. They will make sure that they set things right in terms of the areas that they identified."
Davids said the players returning from injury will also do a lot to boost the squad.
"There are also some players that have played for the British & Irish Lions that are coming back, guys like Louis Reece-Zammit and Taulupe Faletau, so there is a lot of depth in the Wales squad. They have quality in their backline and they have experience up front," said Davids.
The match will kick off at 19:30 (SA time) on Saturday.
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