For all the talk of Wales being rank underdogs in South Africa, make no bones about it, they have weapons that can cause the world champions big problems.
Wales do not head into their three Test series with the Boks as favourites - let that be cleared up from the outset. But they have some absolutely sizzling talent in the wider channels, which puts the onus on attack coach Stephen Jones.
In the back three, you can take your pick. Liam Williams, Louis Rees-Zammit, Josh Adams and Alex Cuthbert. The options are electrifying. Throw George North - the catalyst Wales lacked in the Six Nations - into the 13 channel and it’s enough to make any defence coach think twice.
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So back to Jones, the former Wales fly-half. It is his responsibility to formulate an attacking strategy that puts the ball in the hands of North - a leading contender to start at outside centre - and whatever trio of widemen head coach Wayne Pivac goes for.
Wales have to find a way of escaping the arm wrestle that they can get dragged into against South Africa. Under Warren Gatland, they revelled in getting into the trenches with the Springboks but it wasn’t enough to put them over the hill in the 2019 Rugby World Cup semi-final. It is unlikely to work this summer either.
There is, of course, grunt work to be done and this is not a call to play with reckless abandon. But there must be a subtlety to Wales' game that will give their hosts cause to pause.
Jones knows this: “We can’t be one dimensional, there has to be variety and options to what we do. That’s what we’re training to do.”
Wales’ forwards are going to be important because they will have to link up with the backline effectively to put the likes of North into space. That scenario will make defenders panic because the sizable speedster can run over you or around you.
“Obviously George is a very good ball player, he’s a great running threat,” Jones agrees. “When the ball does become slow and you’re over 100 kilograms, you can certainly give the team go forward, which is great.
“He’s a very balanced player, a world class player and he has lots to his game.”
Rees-Zammit is an interesting case. Dropped during the Six Nations by Wales with the assertion being that he was not doing enough off the ball to get himself into the game, with his ability to repeatedly work at the intensity required at Test level being mentioned.
But he possesses pace that would make the Road Runner nervous and after that disappointment he really came to life at Gloucester, scoring seven tries in the final 10 games of the season for the Cherry and Whites.
“He’s a young man who is working very hard at his game,” Jones said of Rees-Zammit. “We know the nature of international rugby – it’s very challenging.
“You’ve got to give players credit for the way that they respond. He’s gone away, worked hard on his game. We all know what a talent he is.
“The best thing for us is that we know the intensity that the Test arena brings and, as a young winger, you have to be able to repeat the challenges that are asked of you.
“It’s a credit to the young guy that he’s gone away and worked very hard.”
Looking back at the Six Nations, Cuthbert got involved in the game far more regularly than Adams and Rees-Zammit, despite playing fewer minutes. On average, the Osprey touched the ball every seven minutes, compared to 11 to his two wing team-mates.
That includes a marauding performance against England. There was a freshness about Cuthbert, who is throwing caution to the wind and probably views any opportunity he gets now as a bonus, having thought his Test career was over following his move to Exeter Chiefs in 2018.
It is that sort of willingness to find the ball that Pivac will want from his back three.
Pivac will also need Williams and Adams – if selected – to be the players we know they are. The former is nailed on as the only specialist full-back in the squad, while the latter could be under a bit of pressure given he finished the season injured, though his try-scoring prowess is not to be sniffed at.
Williams has had injury problems of his own in recent months but if they feature, Wales will need them to play as if they’d never had time off. Both will have to be nine out of 10 performers and provide the stardust that will be required to rack up points on the Highveld.
South Africa’s kicking game is usually unerringly accurate but there will be chances for the back three to counter-attack. They simply must do so effectively. That doesn’t mean they have to be scoring 90 metre tries, like the one Williams himself sparked on the 2017 Lions tour, but sometimes it’s just about being intelligent.
It is important Pivac names a mobile back-row to support this and ensure players do not surrender possession at under-staffed rucks.
“I think there is going to be a big aerial battle,” said Jones. “We know that’s coming, and they’ll be very physical at the breakdown.
“What we have to be is incredibly smart in the way that we play the game. We have to have balance to our game and it has to be in the right areas of the park.”
Wales will be up against it when they face the world champions, playing in front of home fans for the first time since they won it all in 2019. But they are not as far away as many critics would have you believe.
Though if they are to have any chance this weekend, they have to utilise some of their biggest assets and those reside out wide.
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