While the Springboks will be hunting their third successive victory to win all of their Castle Lager Outgoing Tour matches – a feat last achieved in 2013 – Wales, who advanced to the Rugby World Cup quarter-final just over a year ago, are under immense pressure to sway their fortunes in front of their home crowd.

“Wales showed against Australia what a gutsy team they are because although they started the match slowly, they fought back strongly before Australia pulled away in the end,” said Davids.

“Their scrums were good, and they are a physical side with good structures. They may not be in a good place (given their recent results), but we respect them as a team, and they’ve proven against us in the past that they are one of those sides that just don’t go away.

“Over and above that we approach each game with pride and respect for the opposition, and our main objective is to go out there and always give our best.”

With Bok powerhouse, prop Ox Nche, forced to leave the field against England last weekend, Davids gave encouraging news regarding the cut on his leg, saying he would participate in training this week and was available for selection.

Springbok prop Gerhard Steenkamp agreed with Davids’ sentiments about the threat Wales posed, and said they were areas the Boks needed to improve on as well to achieve their goal of finishing the tour on a winning note.

“There are a lot of areas we can improve on, and adding to that, there is no such thing as an easy Test match,” said Steenekamp. “So, we cannot afford to take our foot of the pedal. We need to go out there on Saturday and build on what we have done in the last two weeks.”

Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus will name his match-23 for the Test on Tuesday, and asked if there was a temptation to send some players home who are not included in the match-day squad, Davids said that is a decision for the head coach: “At this stage everyone will train with us this week.”

When quizzed about team selection after Erasmus’ comments following the England match that he would like to give everyone in the group a chance to play on tour if possible, Davids said: “We always try to select the best team we can according to the opposition’s strengths, and we really want to win this Test match, so we need to get the balance right between getting the desired results and also building for the future.

“The luxury with this squad is that we have a core group of senior players, who can bring experience and leadership, but every player in this squad has what it takes to play at this level.”

Asked specifically about Johan Grobbelaar (hooker) and the only uncapped player in the squad Cameron Hanekom (loose forward), the lineout and maul specialist said: “Johan has obviously been with us longer than Cameron, and unfortunately he plays in one of those positions where there are established players in Malcolm (Marx) and Bongi (Mbonambi), but I’m sure if he were to get an opportunity he’ll want to use it.”

Of Hanekom, Davids said: “He’s a great athlete, a good learner, and he covers all the positions in the loose trio, so he is a talented player who has a lot to offer.”

Reflecting on the first two weeks of the Castle Lager Outgoing Tour, Steenekamp said: “This is my first November tour (with the Springboks), and it’s been an amazing experience. I’m trying to learn as much as I can every day, and it remains an honour to play with some of the best players in the world. It still feels like a dream, so I’m just trying to soak in as much as I can.”

The powerful prop expanded on his statement saying: “Every player in the squad has high standards, so as a young player in the group, it’s important for me to keep up with them and to do my best to contribute to the team.”

The Springboks travelled from London to Cardiff via bus on Sunday and began their on-field preparations for the Test on Monday afternoon.