If there is one obvious pattern from Wales’ two World Cup warm-up games so far, it is that they are a second-half team.
So, maybe that’s the bet to be had when it comes to Warren Gatland’s men. Back them to come good after the break.
DragonBet are offering an inviting 12/1 on Wales trailing to South Africa at half-time this Saturday, before pulling things around to win the game at the Principality Stadium.
That was exactly what happened in the first of the back-to-back fixtures against England in Cardiff a fortnight ago.
Wales were 9-6 down at the break, but found their mojo in the second period and went on to triumph, 20-9 with 14 unanswered points.
Last week at Twickenham, the swing was the same. Wales outscored England 17-13 in the second-half, although not enough to take the victory.
England led 6-0 at half-time and although Wales stormed into a 17-9 lead, England recovered to edge the contest, 19-17.
But the trend is clear enough. Wales appear to start slowly, fall behind on the scoreboard, and then find their own scoring rhythm later in the contest.
If you fancy Wales to undermine that theory against the Springboks, then DragonBet have Wales at 4/1 to be ahead at both half-time and full-time, rather more generous than their 5/2 on Wales just to win outright.
The Boks are priced at 1/3 to win the game and 11/20 to be ahead at the end of both halves.
If you think Wales can turn recent evidence on its head – lead after the first 40 and then lose – then you can back that at 9/2.
Against the world champions, Wales are certain to face another hugely physical contest and with it the potential to lose key players through injury on the eve of the World Cup.
Forwards Dewi Lake and Taine Plumtree are still being assessed after their injuries at Twickenham, and whoever takes their place in the Welsh pack will be up against a South African unit that will be fully loaded.
World Cup-winning captain Siya Kolisi has been named in the team and will play for the first time since knee surgery at the end of last season.
South Africa have made 11 changes to the side which beat Argentina 24-13 in Buenos Aires on August 5.
The handicap betting sees Wales given a start of 8.5 points – less than the 16-point losing margin the last time the teams met a year ago in Cape Town, when South Africa won 30-14.
The week previously, in Bloemfontein, Wales won 13-12, arguably the best result achieved by former coach Wayne Pivac and the first time Wales had won a Test match against the Boks on South African soil.
Of the most recent games between the countries in Cardiff, Wales have lost the last two (2021) and (2019), but Wales won three in a row before that – four if you include the victory in Washington in 2018.
