Kieran Hardy insists Wales are ‘ready for everything’ in South Africa series

Kieran Hardy says that Wales are “ready for everything” as they prepare to tackle world champions South Africa in a three-Test series.

It is mission improbable for Wales, with two of those games – in Pretoria and Bloemfontein – at altitude, while they have never beaten the Springboks on South African soil.

Hardy and company also travel on the back of a shock home defeat against Guinness Six Nations opponents Italy that consigned them to a fifth-placed finish in this season’s tournament.

Compounding matters, Wales are without a number of injured players, including British and Irish Lions quartet Justin Tipuric, Ross Moriarty, Ken Owens and Leigh Halfpenny.

“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 Scarlets scrum-half Hardy, who will battle for the Wales number nine shirt alongside Tomos Williams and Gareth Davies.

“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 don’t think you can ever write a team off, particularly with the characters and experience we have in this squad.

“Obviously, we know that some of the performances in the Six Nations didn’t go our way, but we know we are a better team than that.

“It is a great challenge for us, playing against the best team in the world. Those are the challenges you want to be a part of.

“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.”

Hardy made three appearances off the bench during the Six Nations, scoring a try against England,