Bok Finale Awaits Wales
By Lestyn
April 7 2004
A fourth date has been added to Wales' autumn internationals. South Africa will visit Cardiff as part of celebrations planned to mark the fifth anniversary of the Millennium stadium.
However controversially the 4th December date clashes with the provisional date for week three of next seasons' Heineken cup. With England also targeting another international against New Zealand on the same weekend, the ERC are likely to move the games back a week.
Yet it will be another kick in the teeth for the regions who will be miss another weekend of games without their internationals, vindicating why Colin Charvis wasn't offered a contract due to his Wales commitments'.
South Africa will spice up an Autumn period that was looking rather tame, with only games against Romania and Japan to accompany Hansen and Henry's return with the All Blacks.
This years Super 12 has suggested the Boks' will be a more credible force than in recent years. But with a new coach in Jake White and a continuous migration of players to Europe they are very much in rebuilding process. Wales will have some idea what to expect by then, when both sides meet in Pretoria on June 26th this Summer.
It will be a good indicator to who Mike Ruddock will be looking at for his starting fifteen in next years' Six nations.
Wales's opening international against Romania on the weekend of 12th of November looks set to be played at Wrexhams' Racecourse ground, which beggars the question if North Walians aren't sick of the sight of watching the Oaks' for the third year running.
Mike Ruddock's' first game in charge of Wales will be screened live not by the BBC, but by Sky. The digital broadcasters have snapped up the rights to show the match as part of the Barbarians tour, with a quarter to eight kick off ensuring a late journey home back from Bristol.