The season begins for the Springboks on Saturday when they charge into battle against Wales at Loftus Versfeld, here’s a look back at some of the memorable matches between the two great rugby nations.

While the Springboks have dominated Wales historically, winning 30 of 37 Test matches and unbeaten in 10 home Tests against the Dragons, recent clashes between the two sides have been tight affairs.

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Since 2010, only three times has a game been won by more than seven points.

In the most recent match between the two teams in Cardiff in November 2021, the Springboks needed a 73rd-minute try from Malcolm Marx and Elton Jantjies’ injury-time penalty to seal a 23-18 victory.

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The two nations also faced off in the 2019 World Cup semi-finals, when Handre Pollard struck a penalty after the hooter to send the Boks through to the final with a 19-16 win.

Prior to that, Wales had won four on the trot against the Springboks – three in Cardiff and a 22-20 win in Washington DC.

2019 was not the first time these teams faced off in a World Cup playoff, having also clashed in the 2015 World Cup quarter-final, where the Duane Vermeulen inspired the Boks to a 23-19 victory.

The teams met at the Mbombela Stadium in 2014 where the Boks struck late for a thrilling 31-30 win.

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