Here's your round-up of all the latest rugby headlines from Wales and beyond for Wednesday, June 29.
Wales refuse to show too much respect
Wales will not be rolling out the red carpet for South Africa to march on when they go head to head in Pretoria this weekend.
That's according to hooker Ryan Elias, who is poised to face the Springboks for the third time. He could find himself in the thick of what is going to be a ferocious front-row battle, where many think the game will be decided.
South Africa have earned themselves a reputation as the most fearsome scrummaging outfit on the planet.
But Elias feels it's a fine line between acknowledging their talents and showing them too much respect.
“The respect is there because they are a very good scrummaging outfit but at the same time you can’t give them too much respect," he said.
“We want to be competitive and we want to take it to them. It’s a fine line. We haven’t really thought about it too much or spoken about it.
“For us, it’s about getting our process right and what we want to implement onto them. If we do that to the best of our ability then we should be alright."
He added: "Wayne [Pivac] alluded to it last week, they’re one of the best packs in the world, they’re big men, technically very good at the scrum and lineout.
“They’re physical around the park and it’s another challenge for us. We’ve got to match that with intensity and physicality, otherwise it’s going to be a long day for us."
Record crowd in fake tickets warning
The upcoming Test between South Africa and Wales in Pretoria is a total sell out, but authorities have warned supporters to be wary of vendors selling fake tickets.
Saturday's clash is South Africa's first in front of spectators on home soil since the 2019 Rugby World Cup win, with all 50,000 seats at the Loftus Versfeld snapped up by understandably eager fans.
It means this clash will claim the record for the biggest crowd for a Test match between the two sides in the Rainbow nation and, according to The South African, the high demand has sparked heightened fears over fake tickets.
The Blue Bulls Company and SA Rugby have cautioned fans about purchasing any tickets from fraudulent websites, adding they have already received a number of queries and complaints over websites selling tickets for as much as 400 per cent their market value.
Bosses have advised fans that only tickets purchased at the Loftus Versfeld ticket office or online on the Ticketpro website will be valid for entry.
Vunipola to unleash fury
Billy Vunipola is ready to unleash over a year of frustration that built up during his England exile and make a real statement to Eddie Jones, according to his Saracens team-mate Jamie George.
Vunipola is expected to be restored at number eight for Saturday's first Test against Australia in Perth after injuries to Alex Dombrandt and Sam Simmonds depleted Eddie Jones' options at number eight.
It appeared as though the powerful back row of Tongan heritage had played his last game for England when Jones culled several of his senior players in the wake of an emphatic Six Nations defeat by Ireland last year.
One by one the old guard returned with Jamie George, George Ford and Mako Vunipola all recalled, leaving Vunipola "hurting" as Jones refused to be influenced by his rampaging form for Saracens.
George has acted as a sounding board for his friend over the last 15 months and now the stars have aligned to place him on a collision course with the Wallabies.
"Billy was hurting. He was hurting. I don't think he will mind me saying that. He loves playing for England and he loves playing at the top level," George said.
"I know that it hurt him not being involved in this. I have spoken to him at length about it. He was upset. This is where he wants to be.
"He's probably the most competitive person I've ever come across. He wants to compete against the best and show that he can be the best. What better opportunity to do that than against Australia on their home turf?
"Billy has always been driven. The way that he leads at Saracens is different. He leads from the front. He works incredibly hard. He's constantly wanting to evolve his game.
"I'm hugely excited to see him back in the Test arena because this is where he deserves to be.
Navidi confident Wales can make their mark
Josh Navidi insists Wales are aiming to make it three wins out of three in South Africa this summer.
Wales head to the reigning world champions on the back of a disappointing Six Nations campaign, which infamously culminated in a shock home defeat to Italy.
However, Navidi insists the tourists are confident of proving the critics wrong to make their mark
"It is about trying to put the things we did wrong right," he told the Scrum V podcast. That (Italy) game is a bit sour with us and we lost it ourselves because we did not play too well.
"It's about having a positive effect moving forward. We have three big games coming up and we can't dwell to much on that (Italy game). It is still sitting there though and we know we have to put a big performance there for the Welsh fans."
"It's tough to play here in South Africa with altitude being a massive factor. We are hoping to get three wins and we have to come out here to win.
"People are going to put us down and stuff but we have to back ourselves and hopefully we can prove everybody wrong."
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