For the World Cup quarter-final against Wales at Twickenham on Saturday:
- South Africa and Wales have only met once before at a World Cup, in 2011 when the Springboks won 17-16.
- Saturday’s Test will be the 31st between these two countries in a rivalry that started in 1906 during the first Springbok tour overseas.
- South Africa’s record against Wales is played: 30; won: 27; lost: 2; drawn: 1; points for: 814; points against: 440; win percentage: 90.
- The most points scored by the Springboks in a match against Wales is 96 (96-13) in 1998 at Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria. The Boks scored 15 tries. The winning margin of 83 is the fifth highest in Bok history.
- The total Test caps for the Springbok starting lineup is 686. There are 317 caps in the backline with 369 caps among the forwards. On the bench there are a further 337 caps.
- Bryan Habana will extend his record as the most-capped Springbok wing, with 113 caps in this position. He is the most experienced Bok backline player with 114 caps and only Victor Matfield (125) has played in more Tests for South Africa.
- If Habana scores a try he will extend his own record of 64 Test tries for South Africa. Currently he is joint-second on the list for most Test tries with Australia's David Campese. Japan's Daisuke Ohata is first with 69 career tries.
- Habana is also the new world record holder for most Test tries as a wing. He surpassed the previous record, held by Daisuke Ohata of Japan (62), during last Wednesday’s match against the USA.
- Habana is the joint record holder for most career tries (15) in World Cup tournaments, along with New Zealand's Jonah Lomu.
- Habana and JP Pietersen will be playing in their record 42nd Test as a wing combination in the starting XV.
- Schalk Burger will play in his record 77th Test as a flank for the Springboks. Saturday’s Test will be his 18th World Cup match to become the most-capped Springbok in World Cups. He is also the Springbok record holder for most tries as a flank (14) as well as a forward (16).
- Bismarck du Plessis is the Springbok record holder for most tries (11) in Tests as a hooker.
- Fourie du Preez will play in his 75th Test match.
- The referee is Wayne Barnes of England. He became a professional referee in April 2005 and at the end of 2014 had already officiated as referee in more than 50 Tests. It will be his 12th Test involving South Africa. Of the previous 11 Tests, South Africa won eight and lost three.
- Twickenham is the largest dedicated rugby union venue in the world, the second largest stadium in the United Kingdom and fourth largest in Europe. It has a seating capacity of 81,605.
- The Springboks have played 20 Tests at this stadium, winning 11 and losing nine. Except for the World Cup semi-final against Australia in 1999, all the Tests were against England.
Photo: Steve Haag/Gallo Images
