1998 Wales rugby union tour of Africa
Series of rugby union matches
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The Wales national rugby union team toured southern Africa in June 1998, playing test matches against Zimbabwe and South Africa, as well as tour matches against the Emerging Springboks and three of the South African provincial sides.
| 1998 Wales rugby union tour of Africa | |||||
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| Coach | Dennis John | ||||
| Tour captain | Rob Howley | ||||
| Summary |
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| Total |
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| Test match |
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| Opponent |
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 Zimbabwe |
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 South Africa |
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| Tour chronology | |||||
Wales head coach Kevin Bowring had resigned at the end of the 1998 Five Nations Championship, and with a replacement yet to be appointed, Dennis John was made caretaker coach ahead of the tour.[1] Prior to the tour, 18 players from Wales made themselves unavailable to participate, while a further 8 picked up injuries during the tour.[2]
Wales won their initial match against Zimbabwe in Harare, before moving on to the second leg of the tour in South Africa. Here they would play four tour matches against representative and provincial opposition and a test match against the Springboks. Wales lost all four of the tour matches, and then were defeated by South Africa in the test match. The final scoreline of 96–13 was the biggest defeat Wales had ever had,[3] and remains so as of 2024[update].
Squad
Pending the appointment of a replacement for coach Kevin Bowring, who resigned after the 1998 Five Nations Championship, Wales named Pontypridd's Dennis John as their interim coach for the tour of southern Africa. With 16 regular squad members unavailable due to injury, among them fly-half Neil Jenkins and centre Scott Gibbs, they named a 30-man squad that included 10 uncapped players.[4] A further seven players were injured during the tour, including captain Rob Howley; called up in their place were the likes of Ebbw Vale back rower Kingsley Jones – in what would turn out to be his final Wales call-up – and uncapped Llanelli fly-half Stephen Jones.
Matches
| Date | Venue | Home | Score | Away | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 6 June 1998 | National Sports Stadium, Harare | Zimbabwe |
11–49 |  Wales |
[5] |
| 12 June 1998 | Secunda Stadium, Secunda | Emerging Springboks |
35–13 | Wales XV |
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| 16 June 1998 | Basil Kenyon Stadium, East London | Border Bulldogs | 24–8 | Wales XV |
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| 19 June 1998 | Kings Park Stadium, Durban | Natal Sharks | 30–23 | Wales XV |
[6] |
| 23 June 1998 | Isak Steyl Stadium, Vanderbijlpark | Gauteng Falcons | 39–37 | Wales XV |
[7] |
| 27 June 1998 | Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria | South Africa |
96–13 | Wales |
[8] |
Zimbabwe vs Wales
| 6 June 1998 |
| Zimbabwe | 11–49 | Wales |
| Try: Bekker Pen: Tsimba (2) | Report | Try: Hayward (3) Rees (2) A. Thomas (2) Proctor Con: A. Thomas (3) Pen: A. Thomas |
| National Sports Stadium, Harare Attendance: 6,000 Referee: Johnnie Meuwesen (Namibia) |
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Emerging Springboks vs Wales XV
| 12 June 1998 |
| Emerging Springboks | 35–13 | Wales XV |
| Try: Daniels (3) Fleck L. Venter Con: Koen (2) Pen: Koen (2) | Try: James Con: Hayward Pen: Hayward (2) |
| Secunda Stadium, Secunda Referee: Jonathan Kaplan (Natal) |
Border Bulldogs vs Wales XV
| 16 June 1998 |
| Border Bulldogs | 24–8 | Wales XV |
| Try: Heidtmann Van der Walt Con: Bradbrook Pen: Bradbrook (4) | Try: Rees Pen: A. Thomas |
| Basil Kenyon Stadium, East London Referee: Tappe Henning (Northern Transvaal) |
Natal Sharks vs Wales XV
| 19 June 1998 |
| Natal Sharks | 30–23 | Wales XV |
| Try: Brink (3) Joubert Con: Joubert (2) Pen: Joubert (2) | Try: A. Thomas Hayward Con: A. Thomas (2) Pen: A. Thomas (3) |
| Kings Park Stadium, Durban Referee: André Watson (Eastern Transvaal) |
Gauteng Falcons vs Wales XV
| 23 June 1998 |
| Gauteng Falcons | 39–37 | Wales XV |
| Try: Geyer (2) Strydom Lourens Moyle Booysen Con: Van Straaten (2) Van As Pen: Van Straaten | Try: Funnell Arnold Woodard Taylor Con: Hayward (4) Pen: Hayward (3) |
| Isak Steyl Stadium, Vanderbijlpark Referee: Carl Spannenberg (Western Province) |
South Africa vs Wales
| 27 June 1998 |
| South Africa | 96–13 | Wales |
| Try: Rossouw (3) Montgomery (2) Terblanche (2) Venter (2) Van der Westhuizen Otto Smith Erasmus Skinstad Hendricks Con: Montgomery (9) Pen: Montgomery | Report | Try: A. Thomas Con: A. Thomas Pen: A. Thomas (2) |
| Loftus Versfeld Stadium, Pretoria Attendance: 33,633 Referee: Paddy O'Brien (New Zealand) |
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