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Wales confirm Springbok Tests
28/01/2008 21:30 - (SA)
Cardiff - Wales will play two internationals against world champions South Africa in June, the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) announced here on Monday.
The first Test will take place at Durban's Absa Stadium on Saturday, June 7 and the second at Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria, on Saturday, June 14.
This series will also see the Prince William Cup up for grabs, a trophy the Springboks claimed when, in their first match since winning the World Cup, they defeated Wales 34-12 at the Millennium Stadium in November.
Although the Six Nations Championship, which Wales begin against losing World Cup finalists England at Twickenham on Saturday, is at the forefront of coach Warren Gatland's thinking, the New Zealander said he was looking forward to his first tour in charge of his adopted country.
"The fixtures will certainly come at us thick and fast now, we start our campaign against the top team in the northern hemisphere when we face England at Twickenham on Saturday and my first season with Wales finishes off against the world's best," said Gatland in a WRU statement.
Move from ten to top five
"By the summer I hope to have a settled squad and a clear idea of what needs to be done to improve our prospects in both the short and long term.
"South Africa seems a long way off at the moment, but the tour will be on us before we know it and we'll find ourselves in the privileged position of being able to test ourselves against the world champions at probably the ideal time for our own development."
WRU chief executive Roger Lewis added: "Warren has said openly he wants Wales to be in the top five of the IRB (International Rugby Board) world rankings by the time his contract expires in four years time.
"We currently lie in tenth position and it is only by pitting ourselves against the best teams world rugby has to offer that we will be able to achieve our aims.
"The Welsh rugby team will never shy away from the big challenges and there could have been no better tour for us this summer than to visit the home of the world champions, play in two high intensity Test matches and gain a true measure of our progress."
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Rugby
