South Africa vs Wales RWC 2015: Warren Gatland makes three changes as Gethin Jenkins and Dan Lydiate return
Warren Gatland also makes two positional changes as George North returns to the wing and Sam Warburton switches to openside flanker
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Your support makes all the difference.Warren Gatland has brought in three players for the Rugby World Cup quarter-final clash with South Africa this weekend as well as two positional changes from the side that suffered a 15-6 defeat by Australia in their final Pool A match.
Regular first-team members Gethin Jenkins and Dan Lydiate return to the starting XV after sitting out the loss to the Wallabies, while centre Tyler Morgan comes back into the side to partner Jamie Roberts at centre which allows George North to move back to the wing.
It means that the prop Paul James, flanker Justin Tipuric and the injured back Liam Williams drop out – the latter of the entire World Cup after being ruled out with a foot injury – while captain Sam Warburton returns to his natural role at openside flanker.
Both James and Tipuric are named on the replacements’ bench.
The game will be a memorable one for the second-row Alun Wyn Jones as he will collect his 100th international Test cap, with six of those coming for the British and Irish Lions with the other 93 – soon to be 94 – in the Red of Wales.
The physicality and intensity of the matches so far will stand us in good stead for what is going to be a huge battle against the Springboks
Head coach Gatland admitted that he was happy to return to Twickenham for the quarter-finals despite the opposite being a match in the Welsh capital of Cardiff, and believes that the encounter against the Springboks will be one of sheer physicality.
"After coming through an incredibly tough pool, we are excited to be in the quarter-finals and returning to Twickenham,” Gatland said on Thursday.
"The physicality and intensity of the matches so far will stand us in good stead for what is going to be a huge battle against the Springboks.
"They have grown game on game in this tournament and we know the challenge that faces us from a talented South African side."
While the Springboks can boast a 16-match winning streak over the Welsh between 2000 and 2014, it was the red dragon that prevailed the last time they met at the Millennium Stadium last Novermber in a 12-6 victory, although South Africa won their only World Cup encounter four years ago in a hard-fought pool match that ended 17-16 in the South Africans favour.
Wales team to play South Africa in the World Cup quarter-finals at Twickenham on Saturday:
G Anscombe; A Cuthbert, T Morgan, J Roberts, G North; D Biggar, G Davies; G Jenkins, S Baldwin, S Lee, L Charteris, A W Jones, D Lydiate, S Warburton, T Faletau.
Replacements: K Owens, P James, T Francis, B Davies, J Tipuric, L Williams, R Priestland, J Hook.
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