Sharks coach John Plumtree’s laaitie, Taine, is in a race against time to face the Springboks in the colours of Wales in Cardiff on Saturday.
Plumtree, 23, who also qualified to play for South Africa through his mother, was born in Wales but played for New Zealand U20 in 2019.
However, Kiwi-born Dragons coach Warren Gatland handed the flanker, who signed for Wales’ Scarlets in June, his international debut in their first World Cup warm-up match against England.
Kolisi, Hendrikse and Nche feature in the #Springboks match-23 for the first time this year - more here: https://t.co/i23atPSxJC 🥳#StrongerTogether pic.twitter.com/9zoMeEKafc
— Springboks (@Springboks) August 15, 2023
Plumtree, though, has since suffered a shoulder injury and is a doubt for Saturday – the last game ahead of Gatland’s World Cup squad announcement on Monday.
Wales backline coach Alex King, meanwhile, says they will go all out against the world champions, telling the team’s website: “We will be at full-bore to win the game with South Africa. It’s a really good test for us as they present a good challenge.”