Australia v England LIVE rugby: Result and reaction as England win deciding Test

Dan Biggar says that Wales will “give absolutely everything” in pursuit of a Test series triumph against world champions South Africa that appeared inconceivable three weeks ago.

Biggar admits Wales would “probably have been laughed out of town” had such a possibly even been suggested before the series began.

But after losing narrowly to South Africa in the opener and bouncing back to tie things up last weekend, a titanic Test trilogy reaches its climax.

Cape Town’s DHL Stadium and an expected 55,000 capacity crowd will witness Wales’ bid to shred international rugby’s form-book beyond recognition 14 months before the World Cup.

It is just 17 weeks since Wayne Pivac’s team lost at home to regular Six Nations wooden spoonists Italy, while they had won only four of 12 games before departing Heathrow – beating Canada, Fiji, Australia and Scotland.

Test series glory will be on the line for Wales and South Africa when they meet in Cape Town today.

Wales are fresh from claiming a dramatic 13-12 victory over the world champions last weekend – their first against the Springboks in South Africa – after losing narrowly in Pretoria seven days earlier.

Here, we look at how rival fly-halves and tactical masterminds – Springboks World Cup winner Handre Pollard and Wales captain Dan Biggar – match up.

Wales made history as they recorded a stunning 13-12 second-Test victory over South Africa in Bloemfontein last weekend. It was Wales’s first win against the Springboks on South African soil, ending 58 years of hurt and arriving at the 12th attempt.

After suffering an agonising three-point defeat in the series opener, Wayne Pivac’s team made no mistake at the second time of asking and set up a Cape Town decider.

Springboks head coach Jacques Nienaber’s decision to make 14 changes backfired – he rested World Cup winners like Siya Kolisi, Faf de Klerk and Cheslin Kolbe – as Wales triumphed through Josh Adams’s 78th-minute try that Gareth Anscombe converted from the touchline.

Anscombe and Wales captain Dan Biggar kicked earlier penalties, while Handre Pollard booted four penalties for the Springboks. Alun Wyn Jones was yellow-carded for the second successive game – although it appeared a harsh call for hands in the ruck – and it looked like it could be a frustrating defeat for Wales, yet they finished in style as Anscombe held his nerve.

South Africa skipper Siya Kolisi believes that cup final experiences build character as the Springboks prepare for their Test series decider against Wales.

Cape Town’s DHL Stadium hosts a winner-takes-all third game after South Africa triumphed in Pretoria and Wales levelled things up with an historic success in Bloemfontein last weekend. The 13-12 victory was Wales’ first over the world champion Springboks in South Africa, setting up an intriguing finale.

“We have been in these situations before, and it builds character,” Kolisi said. “The coaches want us to be in situations such as these, so this is nothing new for us. But I am sure Wales have been in these situations, too.

“Wales are a tough team – they don’t stop playing for 80 minutes – but we are looking forward to this weekend. We looked at last week’s game and where they were strong, and we have been working on that and on improving our game.”

Man in the middle is central

Eddie Jones often divides opinion in the rugby world, but few will disagree with his plans to convene a group of leading coaches, players and referees with an aim of removing repeated pauses in play caused by overuse of the television match official, draconian policing of high tackles and laborious set-piece officiating.

Wales were on the receiving end of four yellow cards from first Test Georgian official Nika Amashukeli, then Australia’s Angus Gardner sin-binned Alun Wyn Jones last weekend in what was a baffling decision by the officiating team.

England’s Matthew Carley, outstanding when Wales and France fought out a titanic Six Nations encounter earlier this year, takes charge of the series decider, and he will be firmly under the spotlight.

Warrior Dan Lydiate an inspired presence

Wales flanker Lydiate suffered a knee injury so serious last year that it sidelined him from rugby for more than 12 months. At 34, some might even have doubted whether he would play at Test level again, but Lydiate does not do normality. He made 18 tackles and missed none in Wales’ Bloemfontein victory over South Africa.

He looks as influential a player now as 10 years ago, when he was named Six Nations player of the tournament following Wales’ Grand Slam triumph, which says everything about his quality and durability.

Lydiate is not so much pencilled in for next year’s World Cup, but his name written in capital letters and underlined. How South Africa will be glad to see the back of him.

George North reaches another milestone

Almost 12 years after making his Wales debut as a teenager against South Africa, North becomes his country’s most-capped international back in the men’s game.

The Cape Town clash sees him reach 105 Wales appearances, overtaking former Wales fly-half and current national squad attack coach Stephen Jones.

Last year, North became the youngest player in world rugby to clock up a century of caps, beating Australia skipper Michael Hooper’s record, and no-one apart from Shane Williams has scored more Wales tries than North. An extraordinary career continues to flourish.

Wales tour already a triumph

Whatever happens in Cape Town, Wales’ punishing South Africa tour is an unqualified success. A three-point defeat and stunning 13-12 victory in the opening two Tests at altitude represent a huge collective achievement, given that Wales had won just three of 11 games against all opponents before they left Heathrow last month.

Many individuals have shone, including previously uncapped Leicester flanker Tommy Reffell, and all superbly harnessed by captain Dan Biggar.

Wales also travelled minus four injured British and Irish Lions – Leigh Halfpenny, Ken Owens, Justin Tipuric and Ross Moriarty – so 14 months out from the World Cup, the picture is promising.

The pressure is on South Africa

Make no mistake, the Springboks would not have seen Wales coming. After winning 10 successive home Tests against them and seeing the Azzurri humiliate Wayne Pivac’s team in Cardiff, the series had a 3-0 South Africa triumph written all over it.

Wales, though, have made a mockery of pre-tour predictions, bouncing back in Bloemfontein after losing a first-Test thriller 32-29.

South Africa have dropped two places in the world rankings and their next game after this weekend is a Rugby Championship opener against New Zealand on August 6, so the heat is on, having been generated by a most unlikely source.

Wales and South Africa go head to head in Cape Town to decide their summer series after an enthralling first two games that both came right down to the wire and ended with a victory apiece.

Following a dismal Six Nations, which included being on the wrong end of Italy’s first win in the competition for seven years, expectations were low for Wales as they faced the reigning world champions but Wayne Pivac’s men came agonisingly close to snatching glory in the series opener before finally getting their first-ever victory over the Springboks on South African soil a week ago.

The fact that just one of the last 11 clashes between the sides have been decided by a double-digit margin of victory suggests another thriller is on deck at DHL Stadium.

Regardless of the result in Cape Town, the tour will be seen as an unqualified success from a Welsh perspective and Dan Biggar has captained them superbly despite missing a number of key players through injury. If he can skipper them to a truly remarkable series win, then his legacy will be even further secured.

Here’s everything you need to know ahead of the third and final Test: