Gatland urges Wales to be 'mentally tough'

Men’s world friendly: South Africa v Wales

Venue: Twickenham Date: Saturday, 22 June Kick off: 14:00 BST

Coverage: Live connected S4C, BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio Wales, Radio Cymru nan BBC Sport website and app, positive unrecorded matter commentary and followed by lucifer study connected nan BBC Sport website and app.

Wales caput coach Warren Gatland says his broadside tin create intelligence toughness by continuing to play apical sides specified arsenic world champions South Africa.

Gatland has named an experimental broadside to play nan Springboks astatine Twickenham connected Saturday earlier a two-Test circuit of Australia adjacent month.

Wales spell into nan crippled pursuing six successive Test defeats, 5 of which resulted successful a first Six Nations woody spoon successful 20 years.

Gatland insisted Wales request to support playing nan best.

"I don't spot it immoderate different to erstwhile I arrived successful 2008 and was asked by Roger Lewis (Welsh Rugby Union main executive) who do you want to play?" said Gatland.

"I said immoderate clip we tin play a confederate hemisphere squad we request to jump astatine that chance.

"That is nan measurement you improve. Not conscionable successful rugby but immoderate athletics by playing against nan best. That is nan biggest portion of nan improvement and players request to acquisition that.

"You effort and replicate what you tin do successful training arsenic champion arsenic you can, but you want them coming disconnected nan field, learning and enjoying it, but besides wanting more."

Wales are missing flanker Jac Morgan who has been ruled retired of nan summertime bid pinch a hamstring injury, pinch chap 2023 World Cup co-captain Dewi Lake starring them against nan Springboks.

James Botham will deterioration nan number 7 garment and statement up successful a back-row that besides includes Taine Plumtree and Aaron Wainwright.

Cardiff scrum-half Ellis Bevan will make his Test debut, while Liam Williams makes a first Wales quality since nan 2023 World Cup aft missing this season's Six Nations owed to nine commitments successful Japan.

Wales are without their England-based players - nan likes of Nick Tompkins, Dafydd Jenkins and Tommy Reffell - because nan crippled falls extracurricular World Rugby's summertime Test model and intends they cannot beryllium considered for selection.

Wales person been severely deed astatine 2nd row, pinch Six Nations skipper Jenkins and his Exeter workfellow Christ Tshiunza unavailable, Will Rowlands rested and Adam Beard injured.

Matthew Screech and Ben Carter are nan locks selected to commencement against nan world champions.

Screech, 31, made his only erstwhile Wales quality arsenic a replacement against Argentina successful 2021, while Carter was past progressive during nan World Cup warm-up Tests almost a twelvemonth ago.

Meanwhile location are 3 uncapped players connected nan bench: Ospreys guardant James Ratti, Scarlets centre Eddie James and Cardiff backmost Jacob Beetham.

So an inexperienced Wales squad taking connected a South Africa broadside that mightiness besides beryllium missing a fewer players, but will still person 10 World Cup winners successful their match-day squad.

"It is portion of nan challenge," said Gatland.

"If you commencement doubting yourself you person to beryllium capable to flooded those sorts of challenges.

"Test lucifer rugby is reliable and physical, you person sewage to beryllium capable to grip adversity.

"It is astir apt not nan politically correct point astatine nan infinitesimal successful today's society, but you person to beryllium mentally tough.

"You person to spell done that symptom sometimes and beryllium capable to travel retired nan different side.

"There is thing incorrect pinch that. You person to beryllium brave and flooded your fearfulness factor.

"You are going retired location and playing against large men, it's going to wounded and you person to spell done immoderate pain.

"There are going to beryllium tons of different emotions and things to situation yourself on, get done that and travel retired nan different side."

Gatland believes immoderate young Wales players person already benefitted from being exposed connected nan world stage.

"We person immoderate individuals successful nan broadside who emotion that situation and thrive connected it for illustration Dewi Lake and Dafydd Jenkins," said Gatland.

"They won't locomotion distant from a challenge, they tally towards it and spot it arsenic thing they thrive connected successful position of gathering it caput on."

Gatland has spoken astir Wales gaining immoderate respect and hopes they tin execute that against nan Springboks this weekend.

"We are not very knowledgeable successful position of nan number of caps and guys connected nan bench," said Gatland.

"There's a awesome opportunity for this squad to spell retired and execute aft we've been training and moving hard."