THE WALES players that are wearily preparing for a last hurrah against the Springboks may be secretly questioning the wisdom of having four autumn internationals.
A win against South Africa would no doubt ease the aches and pains but there are some tired minds and bodies after a brutal November that has seen them struggle against Australia and Fiji before being overpowered by the All Blacks.
Warren Gatland wants his teams to test themselves against the best but a schedule against the big three and another against notoriously hard-hitting opposition seems a tad extreme.
The strain, both mental and physical, will leave the regions picking up the pieces when they are preparing for the return of European competitions next weekend.
Much has been made this week of Gatland being under pressure but he can switch off after this Saturday unlike his players, who cannot be treated gently given the importance of their Euro clashes.
The Dragons may be able to risk giving Taulupe Faletau the week off at Bucharest if they choose to do so but the Ospreys, Scarlets and Cardiff Blues cannot be as generous with fixtures against Racing Metro, Ulster and London Irish.
Of course, the regions signed up to the deal with the extra fourth encounter said to be a necessary evil in order to fund the game, even if that means the regions will be without their Wales players for a round of Guinness Pro12 action against Scottish, Irish and Italian foes who can select their Test stars.
However, it is becoming increasingly difficult to flog four internationals to the public, as is shown by the giant Welsh flag that has masked the empty seats in Glanmor’s Gap this autumn.
Perhaps it’s because fans are fed up with familiar tales of plucky defeats to the big guns in an already saturated international calendar
Meanwhile the players in Wales and England must raise themselves for one last blast at the behest of the money men. It’s wrong, even if the Springboks and Wallabies are beaten on Saturday afternoon.
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