Today's rugby news as South Africa don't buy reports of Wales' demise and fans publicly call for WRU meeting

Here are the latest rugby headlines from Wales and beyond on Thursday, June 9.

South Africa head coach Jacques Nienaber believes Wales will provide the sternest possible test of his world champions despite what unfolded during the Six Nations.

Nienaber expects a tight three-match series next month and will pick a strong squad to face Wayne Pivac's side. He has suggested, though, he will also use the games to build squad depth.

The two sides last met in the autumn, with the Boks narrowly winning 23-18. Since then, though, the Welsh endured a miserable Six Nations, losing at home to Italy for the first time in history. The South African media are expecting a comfortable series for their side, with some pundits predicting a serious drubbing.

Nienaber said: “Looking back at the history between the sides, I believe the Tests against Wales will be tightly contested.

“They always bring a physical edge, and they are well coached in the set pieces and defend them well too. They are also technically smart. Since I joined the Springboks in 2018, I think we were well beaten on the year-end tour, but several other games were determined by small margins so they will bring physicality and pride. They are already in camp, so they will be well prepared for us.

“I am under no illusions that it will be a tough series.”

As for the Boks' plans, he added: “Without going into specifics, there were areas of our game from the 2021 season that we have to improve on, so two key areas for us is to develop our game on the field and create squad depth. The latter can be done through bringing in young players, and giving guys who have already played for us, but are still young within the system, more Test experience."

Henry Arundell has revealed