Event: Principality Stadium, Cardiff Date: Saturday, November 29 Kick off: 15:10 GMT
Coverage: Commentary on BBC Sounds, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru and live text on BBC Sport online.
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Many people thought the fall international program ended last weekend.
It has been completed for most nations, but not for Wales and South Africa, who will play one final match on Saturday at Cardiff’s Principality Stadium.
This is a controversial match that has been organized by the Welsh Rugby Union (WRU) outside of World Rugby’s designated window for international matches.
It has not proven popular with many fans, but the WRU says it can benefit Welsh rugby on and off the field.
“I don’t think anyone wants the game next weekend, neither players nor fans,” former Wales fly-half James Hook told the Scrum V podcast.
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“We’re not going to win, are we? How are we going to cancel it?”
BBC Sport outlines the reasons why the game was organised.
What is the World Rugby international window?
World Rugby has two designated three-week windows designed for global matches between international teams: one in July and the other in November.
This means clubs release players for their national teams under World Rugby rule nine.
The three weekends available for this month were November 8th and 9th, 15th and 16th, and 22nd and 23rd.
National teams can organize matches outside that period, but clubs are not obliged to release their players for those matches.
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Why do unions organize matches outside the window?
The main reason is money. The host nation pays the visiting team a large sum to play and then hopes to be able to recoup the fee and also make a profit from ticket sales and hospitality.
This is especially important for Welsh rugby because it is estimated that 60% of the game’s turnover is generated by hosting high-level men’s international matches at the Principality Stadium and related commercial activity.
The WRU says it is a not-for-profit organization and all the money it generates goes to Welsh football.
It is understood that the origins of this particular match were initially agreed in 2018 and organized for 2020, but postponed due to Covid.
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In 2021, the match was rescheduled until this year and both sides continued to honor it.
Despite claims of financial benefits, the concept of a fourth international meeting has often been controversial and the WRU decided not to have one in 2024.
It has hosted additional matches in previous years, but has always relied on significant crowds to help increase revenue and generate profits.
When asked how much money the WRU expects to make from this particular match, and what fee the Springboks will be paid to come to Cardiff, Welsh rugby’s governing body refused to give financial figures, stating that they were commercially sensitive.
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Time will tell if it generates the money that such a combination is expected to justify.
How many people will watch the game in Cardiff?
That’s hard to say right now. The WRU says it will not release attendance until the day of the game, which is normal protocol, but insists it hopes to meet targets for this match.
A WRU statement said: “We will have welcomed almost 250,000 fans through the Principality Stadium turnstiles over four consecutive November weekends in Cardiff when we host South Africa this weekend.
“We are grateful to the hundreds of thousands of fans who have shown their support for new head coach Steve Tandy and his team as they build for the future.
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“We have received positive feedback about the great experience of the matchday in Cardiff this year.
“We look forward to another special occasion when we take on the world champions and hope another great crowd will join us.”
Crowd numbers this weekend could be the biggest issue for Welsh rugby’s governing body as this match has yet to capture the public’s imagination.
There have been anecdotal stories on social media about slow sales for this game and even giving out free tickets to some games this fall.
Welsh fans may not be desperate to turn up and watch the dark sides or see a potential big defeat for the hosts.
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The Springboks also played in London this month when they defeated Japan at Wembley in early November, so traveling South Africans may also be unwilling to travel.
The double world champions visited Cardiff last season in the international window, claiming a 45-10 victory in a match that attracted 67,236 spectators.
More than 68,000 people flocked to the Principality Stadium to watch New Zealand defeat Wales 52-26 last weekend.
We look forward to seeing how the crowd compares this Saturday.
Are there other nations playing next weekend?
No. Wales-South Africa is the only international match that will be played next weekend.
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England, Ireland and Scotland also opted to host matches outside the international window, but decided to play them on November 1.
They faced Australia, New Zealand and the United States respectively, while South Africa also played Japan on the same weekend, notably without clashes with their respective leagues.
Instead, Wales and the Springboks will play on the same weekend as a round of the United Rugby Championship (URC).
Dragons host Leinster on Friday night, while Cardiff and Ospreys travel to play Zebre and Edinburgh on Saturday, and Scarlets host Glasgow.
The fact that the Welsh team is playing on the same weekend as the four professional teams has drawn criticism, especially as the regions are understrength as Wales will use the best players.
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The Ospreys are the worst affected, with 12 players in the Wales squad. Nine of them are forwards and Wales captain Jac Morgan is also injured.
So Mark Jones’ men face a daunting trip to Scotland this weekend with a weakened squad.
Which Wales and South Africa players are unavailable?
The 13 England and France-based Welsh players initially named in Tandy’s autumn squad are unavailable for Wales this weekend.
Lock Adam Beard is based in France, while there are 12 players plying their trade in England with Rhys Carre, Olly Cracknell, Archie Griffin, Nicky Smith, Dafydd Jenkins, Freddie Thomas, Tomos Williams, Jarrod Evans, Louie Hennessey, Max Llewellyn, Nick Tompkins and Louis Rees-Zammit unavailable.
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By contrast, Wales have a long-term agreement with their own teams to release players for the national team, so the names of Ospreys, Cardiff, Scarlets and Dragons make up this weekend’s 30-man squad.
The Springboks will also have a limited selection because some of their players have returned to English, French and Japanese clubs, while head coach Rassie Erasmus has also released players to South African teams for URC action.
South Africa will be without world player of the year Malcolm Marx, Thomas du Toit, Boan Venter, Lood de Jager, RG Snyman, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Grant Williams, Handre Pollard, Manie Libbok, Jesse Kriel, Cheslin Kolbe and Edwill van der Merwe, who have returned to their unions and provincial clubs.
What do the WRU and the regions say?
The bosses of the four professional teams have so far refused to comment publicly on the scheduling of this match.
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Therefore, it will be up to their coaches to respond in this week’s press conferences before the URC games.
The WRU continues to support the benefits of a fourth international.
“From a performance perspective, challenging yourself against the best teams in the world drives player and team development,” a WRU statement read.
“From a business point of view, the addition of a fourth international match in the series directly increases the resources available to invest directly in rugby in Wales.”
That said, there are no repeats planned next year.
Due to the new Nations Championship in 2026, there are no plans for matches outside the international window next November.
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Four matches will still be played, but due to the nature of the new tournament, they will take place within the window.