Kieran Hardy has said that Wales preparation has left them “ready for everything” as they face the world champions this Summer.
Coming off the back of a fifth-placed finish at this year’s Six Nations, that ended in a chastening home defeat to Italy, Wales face a team they have never beaten away from home, with two of the games being played at altitude.
The first of those sees a trip to Pretoria next week, but Hardy is optimistic their preparation has helped them as they look to produce what would be a famous series win.
“We are under no illusions that it is going to be a very difficult task, particularly with the altitude and being away from home,” said Hardy, “But we are ready for everything.
“We’ve had a good couple of weeks of preparation and we are going out there to try and win a Test series.
“I think we understand the task in front of us and how difficult it is going to be out there, but for us it’s just about doing everything we can between now and then, making sure we are ready for every Test match.”
Injuries to key players – including four British and Irish Lions in Justin Tipuric, Ross Moriarty, Ken Owens and Leigh Halfpenny – will make Wales’ task even more difficult.
But one thing they won’t have a shortage of is scrum-halves, with Tomos Williams and Gareth Davies both competing with Hardy for the number nine shirt.
Williams is likely to start the first Test at Loftus Versfeld on July 2, but Hardy is relishing the challenge of fighting for scrum-half supremacy with his two rivals.
“It is a big battle,” Hardy added. “We are pretty lucky with the quality of nines we have in Wales.
“The quality of nines is high, and if you spoke to any one of us, we would all back ourselves to play.
“Obviously, with the World Cup coming around, someone needs to nail down the shirt.
“I am doing everything in my ability to take that shirt and make sure I can carry it through until then.”
