The three-time Rugby World Cup-winning nation is one of the premier forces on the sport’s international stage, and that’s proven no different as of late, as the national team has the look of a side that could win a historic fourth title, officially putting it a step above all of its other world rivals.
Cool and calculated in their rugby, the Springboks now enter the final full year of competition before they have to put their World Cup title back on the line. The moves the team makes from now until then will be critical in their hope of ensuring that South Africa stays on the top of the table.
What’s ahead for the Boks as they prepare for a trio of matches at home against Wales?
Here’s a look at what’s to come for the world’s top-ranked side with those tests ahead and streamed live on FloRugby:
A Happy Homecoming
It has been almost three years since South Africa won its most recent Rugby World Cup in 2019 in Japan, but thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic and its subsequent restrictions, the Springboks haven’t had a return match to celebrate in front of a capacity crowd since then.
Because the South African government lifted all limitations on public gatherings and events last week, the Boks could be greeted by nearly 52,000 rugby-mad attendees July 2 at Loftus Versfeld in Pretoria for the first match in a three-test series against Wales.
It’s a shame South Africa hasn’t been able to be in front of full stadiums for so long because the Springboks have been the class of the rugby world for almost all of that time.
Having been the world’s No. 1-ranked side for all but two weeks since winning the World Cup final in Yokohama, South Africa had a strong end to 2021, with consecutive wins over New Zealand, Wales and Scotland, before a narrow one-point loss to close out the year against England. All matches listed were played away from home.
Coach Jacques Nienaber didn’t exactly have the easiest of jobs to do following his appointment in January 2020 (pandemic, no prior head coaching experience, pressure following a World Cup win, etc.), but the longtime national team assistant has aced most tests put before him thus far, putting the Boks in prime position next year to potentially be just the second team – after New Zealand – to win consecutive Rugby World Cups.
Wales Won’t Be Easy
Records can be a bit deceiving, and there’s a great example of that being true when looking at the prior rugby history between South Africa and Wales.
The Springboks are 30-1-6 all-time against the Welsh, a run that included 15 straight Boks wins from 2000-2014, the last two tests of which came when Wales last toured South Africa.
However, coach Wayne Pivac’s Wales has won five of the past eight meetings and lost by a combined 12 points across the other three meetings, quickly making Wales-South Africa in recent times one of the most consistently exciting fixtures in world rugby.
Because of that recent history, it would be unfair to simply write off the Welsh as underdogs next month, especially considering that some of the most decorated names in the sport – such as lock and captain Alun Wyn Jones, the most-capped player (150) in the history of the game – still are going strong for the national side.
Still, the Springboks undoubtedly will come into the series with the expectation of three wins in three matches, especially with the talent the squad has and in having full home stadiums behind it once again.
Just don’t be fooled into thinking that despite the difference in world ranking (No. 1 vs. No. 9) that all the games will be uncompetitive snooze fests. However, the recent tests have indeed been defensive-heavy as neither nation has scored more than 24 points in any of the past five matches.
Squad Size Gives Boks Options
With South Africa featuring one of the richest talent pools in world rugby, squad selection can get difficult at points for Nienaber.
The solution? Bring a massive 43-man roster along for the ride.
Only 23 players will make the matchday squads, but the numbers brought along for development camp signal that Nienaber is evaluating his options both for The Rugby Championship later this year and, for further along, defending his team’s Rugby World Cup crown from the touchline next year.
Full crowds finally will get to see the heroes from Japan three years ago with no pandemic-related restrictions.
World Cup-winning captain Siya Kolisi, elite fly-half Handre Pollard and center Damian de Allende are some of the more well-known names on the list, but the overall strength and power possessed by the Springboks’ scrum – a critical part of their most recent World Cup triumph – makes for a unit that has few or no equals internationally.
However, the uncapped names on the roster could make for intriguing pieces against Wales, too.
Loose forward Evan Roos was the player of the year in the recently-finished United Rugby Championship, with the 22-year-old Stormers star hoping to break through into the national side as a young talent to watch.
Roos’ teammate, Deon Fourie, also is uncapped and coming off a Man of the Match performance in the URC final over the Bulls, but at 35 years old, is hoping to get a maiden Springboks appearance as the prime of his career wears thin.
UK vehicle-makers face a 50% increase in energy costs this year, an industry body has warned.
Analysis by the Society of Motor Manufacturers and Traders (SMMT) stated that the sector’s annual energy bill – which is already £50 million more than its European Union rivals – will rise by £90 million in 2022.
UK electricity prices are the most expensive of any European automotive manufacturing country and 59% above the EU average, according to the SMMT.
That means UK firms could have saved nearly £50 million if they were buying energy in the EU.
The additional cost of producing vehicles and components in the UK is putting manufacturers at a competitive disadvantage, the SMMT warned.
Speaking at the organisation’s annual summit in central London, SMMT chief executive Mike Hawes said challenges such as the coronavirus pandemic, parts shortages and trade uncertainty are “immense”, but addressing the UK’s high energy costs is “the industry’s number one ask”.
He went on: “Help with energy costs now will help keep us competitive and be a windfall for the sector, stimulating investment in innovation, R&D (research and development), training – all reinvested in the UK economy.
“With the right backing this sector can drive the transition to net zero, supporting jobs and growth across the UK and exports across the globe.”
INDUSTRY EVENT – The Economic Power of the Worlds First Compound Semiconductor Cluster in South Wales
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Director of CSconnected, Chris Meadows spoke to Business News Wales about the importance of the compound semiconductor industry in Wales, in the build up to a Cardiff University webinar on the 7th July.
The Compound Semiconductor event – Informing Policy with Cardiff University, will see experts presenting directly to a wide range of policy-makers, providing research expertise and insights covering an industry that has a strategic national importance to the wider UK economy.
The online webinar will look at CSconnected, the world’s first compound semiconductor cluster located in South Wales, that aims to give the UK a global advantage in technology across sectors such as Net Zero, 5G communications and autonomous vehicles. CSconnected represents organisations who are directly involved in the research, development, design and manufacturing of Compound Semiconductor technologies.
This webinar will highlight the role of the Institute for Compound Semiconductors (ICS) at Cardiff University in the development of the CSconnected cluster. The ICS focuses on translational research on Compound Semiconductor technologies. With state-of-the-art equipment, cutting-edge facilities and highly-skilled people, the ICS, located in the new TRH facility, will enable researchers and industry to work together to meet consumer demand by progressing academic research to a point where it can be introduced reliably and quickly into the production environment.
Engineering technology firm Reinshaw has confirmed a major expansion of its manufacturing operation in South Wales with a £50m investment.
At its existing 193-acre site in Miskin, near Cardiff, it will build 400,000 sq ft of additional low carbon buildings – almost doubling its presence where it employs 650.
The investment will deliver new production halls and an employee welfare facility. The existing production halls will also be refurbished to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.
Planning permission for the expansion, at the former Bosch automotive site which was acquired by Renishaw in 2011, was granted by the Vale of Glamorgan Council last year.
How the employee welfare facility at Renishaw’s Miskin facility will look
Renishaw said the additional manufacturing capacity is required to meet its forecast sales growth in the coming years and will also enable it to help achieve its 2028 net zero target. At this stage it couldn’t give any indication of the scale of any new job creation at Miskin.
The construction will be completed in phases, with a 15-month programme of work starting in July to build a first hall of 188,800 sq ft, the welfare facility and supporting infrastructure.
The basic shell for the second new production hall, extending to 195,800 sq ft, will be built by December 2024. It will be completed when business levels require it.
Full details of the operations that will take place in each of the new halls has yet to be confirmed, but will see a ramping up in machining operations and the assembly of products already built at the site, including Renishaw’s metal additive manufacturing (3D printing) machines.
How Renishaw’s expanded Miksin operation could look.
By the end of 2024, the company also aims to have refurbished the two existing halls reduce their carbon emissions including new energy-efficient cladding and the replacement of existing heating systems.
The investments complement initiatives at the company’s other global sites, including large investments in roof-mounted solar panels, new car port solar panels, and feasibility studies to assess the viability of wind power.
Gareth Hankins, head of global manufacturing, said, “The last two years have highlighted the importance of in-house manufacturing for Renishaw and the control that this gives us in meeting our quality, cost and delivery targets. This significant investment by our board to increase the group’s production capabilities demonstrates a huge vote of confidence in our manufacturing operations and people, at an exciting time for the business.”
UK-based Renishaw is a world leading engineering technologies company, supplying products used for applications as diverse as jet engine and wind turbine manufacture, through to dentistry and brain surgery. It has over 5,000 employees located in the 36 countries where it has wholly-owned subsidiary operations.
Global engineering group Renishaw is to invest more than £50m at its Miskin site in South Wales to increase manufacturing capacity and to help meet its Net Zero emissions targets.
The investment will lead to the creation of 400,000 sq ft of additional low carbon buildings at the 193-acre site to the west of Cardiff, consisting of two new production halls and an employee welfare facility.
The existing production halls will also be refurbished to reduce their greenhouse gas emissions.
Planning permission for the detailed plans to almost double the footprint of the site, which was acquired by Renishaw in 2011 and currently accommodates 650 employees, was granted by the Vale of Glamorgan Council last year. With the company continuing to see strong business growth and have confidence in its long-term prospects, those plans will now be realised.
The construction will be completed in phases, with a 15-month programme of work starting in July 2022 to build the first of the new halls (188,800 sq ft), the welfare facility and supporting infrastructure.
The basic shell for the second new production hall (195,800 sq ft) will be built by December 2024 and will be fully constructed when business levels require its use. The details of the operations that will take place in each of the new halls is yet to be fully determined, but the additional capacity will allow for increases to machining operations and the assembly of products already built at the site, including Renishaw’s metal additive manufacturing (3D printing) machines.
Renishaw said a vital consideration for the construction programme at the Miskin site, is the achievement of Renishaw’s Net Zero Scopes 1 & 2 GHG emissions targets. Therefore, the new facilities will be built with the latest technologies and materials to ensure that they will be Net Zero in operation, and the build will also aim to minimise the amount of embodied carbon within the building materials used in construction.
Gareth Hankins, head of global manufacturing, said: “The last two years have highlighted the importance of in-house manufacturing for Renishaw and the control that this gives us in meeting our quality, cost and delivery targets.
“This significant investment by our board to increase the group’s production capabilities demonstrates a huge vote of confidence in our manufacturing operations and people, at an exciting time for the business.”
EXPORTS of Welsh food and drink hit a record high in 2021, it has been announced.
The total value of food and drink exports to the Welsh economy last year was £641 million, the Welsh Government’s rural affairs minister Lesley Griffiths has announced.
Wales also saw the largest percentage increase in the value of food and drink exports out of the four UK nations between 2020 and 2021, rising by £89 million, an increase of 16.1 per cent.
Meat and meat products were the most popular export, worth £187 million last year, while the value of cereal and cereal preparations rocketed from £51 million to £139 million – an increase of 173 per cent.
Exports to the EU accounted for 73 per cent of the total, worth £465 million – up £51 million from the previous.
Eight of the top ten Welsh food and drink export destinations were within the EU, with the Republic of Ireland remaining the top customer, with a value of £113 million.
The two non-EU destinations in the top 10 were the USA and Saudi Arabia.
Exports to France were also high, with a value of £100 million, followed by the Netherlands at £49 million and Germany, at £44 million.
Exports to Belgium also increased significantly, from £21 million in 2020 to £56 million last year – a rise of 162 per cent. The highest value category to the country was dairy products and birds eggs.
Ms Griffiths said: “It is great news Welsh food and drink exports have reached their highest value ever.
“The past couple of years have been very challenging and these figures clearly demonstrate the resilience and determination of our Welsh companies to succeed in overseas markets.
“The industry in Wales is also leading the way out of the four UK nations with the largest percentage increase in the value of food and drink exports.
“I am pleased the Welsh Government’s Food and Drink Export Programme is supporting businesses to broaden trade in new and existing markets in countries around the world.”
The capture of Matthew Sorinola brought up Swansea City’s fourth signing of the summer window.
He joins Wasiri Williams, Nathan Wood and Harry Darling in south Wales, with the latter considered a particularly good bit of business.
Darling was a long-term target of head coach Russell Martin and appears to be another Flynn Downes-type signing – essentially a player pivotal to how Martin wants his team to play.
Signings five and six aren’t too far away either, with goalkeeper Remy Mitchell and left-back Ben Blythe set to join from Arsenal and Doncaster Rovers respectively. The young duo are set to follow Williams into Kris O’Leary’s under-23s set-up initially and their acquisitions illustrate positive signs for the future.
Early business is a welcome experience at Swansea, with supporters almost accustom to late-dash supermarket sweep-style transfer work being conducted in south Wales, such are their financial constraints.
With the season starting earlier than ever this year, it is important for Martin to know what – and who – he’s got to work with.
Chief executive Julian Winter revealed at a fans’ forum last month two centre-backs and a right-wingback were Swansea’s priorities this summer and they’ve certainly ticked two of those boxes. Sorinola, although a left-wingback by trade, can operate on the right by all accounts but one suspects another right-sided defensive player will come in this summer.
If fans were being greedy there would be more incoming activity in the middle and finals thirds before the season gets under way. Swansea’s hopes of bringing Joe Allen back to SA1 were given a huge boost on Friday with news the Wales midfielder would not be renewing his contract with Stoke City. If Swansea aren’t in pole position for his signature, they are certainly right in the mix for it.
Links continue to do the rounds with Portsmouth’s Marcus Harness, with Pompey boss Danny Cowley admitting they were “very open minded” about the possibility of him leaving Fratton Park. Chiedozie Ogbene also remains of interest at Rotherham United.
But Swansea’s next stage of transfer business – getting rid of fringe players and making room for the likes of Allen – is arguably as important as recruiting new bodies.
Martin himself alluded to this at the same forum Winter spoke at just as the season ended.
“I don’t think there’s a gap in the squad for Joe Allen,” Martin said last month. “There may be a gap in the squad [in the future] and he is one person who we would definitely be interested in to fill it. But at the moment I think it would be a difficult one. It’s whether we can interest Joe enough to wait.
“There are going to be lots of interest and I will just be one of a number of managers who will be interested. So much in football is timing and opportunity.”
From their lack of game-time in a Swansea shirt last term, one assumes Liam Walsh and Jay Fulton will be moved on. But finding suitors for the pair is easier said than done, with fitness records and wages to be factored in to any sale.
Others who were on loan last season could also be moving – Liam Cullen, Morgan Whittaker and Kyle Joseph are all admired on the south coast and could play some part in a deal for Harness, should matters progress.
Fans must also brace themselves for raids on Swansea’s crown jewels too – namely Joel Piroe, Matt Grimes and Downes. Losing one of those changes the whole dynamic of Swansea’s summer.
Ultimately it’s encouraging to see Swansea bring in players early to give themselves the best possible preparation time for the new campaign; if they are to really challenge, the next phase needs to be shipping out those on periphery in order to bolster the squad even further.
In a Q&A session, Aerospace Wales Forum’s director, Rachael Blackburn discusses the trade association’s role in supporting all its member companies operating in Wales’s burgeoning aerospace and defence sector.
Aerospace Wales has had some exciting developments in the last year – including the launch of Space Wales, an offshoot of Aerospace Wales with 60 member companies. We recognise that there are many opportunities for traditional aerospace and defence companies to diversify into the space sector and benefit from its aspirations in the UK.
In the UK aerospace sector, Wales has around 10% of the overall UK workforce and arguably punches above its weight. When it comes to the space sector, Wales has around 1% of the overall UK workforce so there is a huge opportunity for growth in what is itself a significant growth sector. The UK space sector has previously set a target of achieving a 10% share of the predicted £400 billion per annum global space market in 2030. A 5% share for Wales would equate to £2bn per year, and we believe this is a realisable target that we should aim to achieve and work to exceed with companies and organisations in Wales.
During the pandemic, Aerospace Wales established the MRO Hub, a collaboration of 10 companies working together to enhance the MRO offering in Wales as this is recognised as an important sector for the Welsh economy. The Aerospace Wales MRO Hub offers a unique through-life service for commercial, defence and business aviation, providing a combination of services to keep an aircraft available, airworthy and economically viable throughout its whole lifecycle.
The MRO Hub covers the aviation industry value chain, encompassing aircraft leasing, maintenance and recycling to component manufacture, parts repair, ground support equipment, tooling and business aviation.
In December 2021 we held the second Aerospace Wales Showcase Expo with over 400 delegates attending a mini conference with Airbus, BAE Systems, DASA, and Thales. We hosted over 1,800 meet the buyer appointments and had 100 exhibitors at the one-day event. We also recently appointed Madeleine Pinder as our new operations manager.
Q) Firstly, is it still important to have a regional aerospace cluster?
Yes, undoubtably. Each regional cluster knows their member companies thoroughly and personally, and it’s through this intimate knowledge and understanding we can act on a regional, national or international level to promote our member companies and their capabilities and expertise. The regional clusters meet monthly to share opportunities, best practice and look at areas of potential collaboration.
Q) What is your organisation’s aim?
The Aerospace Wales Forum is the trade association for all companies operating in the aerospace, defence, space and aviation sectors in Wales. We support our members by promoting their companies on our website, in our capabilities matrix and trade brochure and by giving them access to events, networking opportunities and industry expertise. As a membership organisation, we recognise that our value is measured by what we deliver and achieve for our members. To this end, we are committed to exploring new ideas and finding new clusters/collaborations that offer even more value to our membership.
Continuous Improvement has long been a vital cog in the aerospace business ‘machine’ and Aerospace Wales welcomes constructive feedback, whether you’re a member or not. If you’re not a member right now, why not come along to one of our events and see for yourself the value and opportunities we can offer your organisation.
Q) Typically, what are OEMs demanding from their supply chains?
Following all the turbulence of recent years with Brexit, Covid and the war in Ukraine and Russia, the next challenge is also a great opportunity with the recently announced Airbus ramp-up in production to 75 wing sets per month. We need to assist supply chain companies throughout the UK to ensure they are all in the strongest possible position to be able to support Airbus in achieving these targets.
Q) Are you seeing increasing growth and interest in the development of advanced materials like composites?
In a high-tech fast-moving industry such as ours, companies are consistently trying to keep abreast of new developments and technologies that will enhance their productivity and business offering. We frequently run workshops with our members so that they can be kept abreast of new technologies and the impacts it could have for them. We also recently exhibited at JEC World, Paris, giving our members the opportunity to showcase their expertise, and for us to learn more about new technological developments.
Team Wales: Aerospace Wales and Welsh Government colleagues at Farnborough 2018
Q) What is the cluster doing to help enthuse young people to take up a career in the aerospace industry?
We would love to be doing more than we currently are doing but resources somewhat restrict our activities. Aerospace Wales is supported by a team of 15 Board members and Ambassadors and these are from a cross-section of the sector and include academia and skills and training providers so that we can support their endeavours. We will shortly be hosting an Apprentice Workshop so that we can highlight to companies all the advantages of taking on apprentices and the routes to do so and the financial support available
Q) Are you actively courting overseas companies to consider moving their manufacturing facilities to the area?
We are still receiving as many foreign direct investment enquiries post-Brexit as before, and we work closely with Welsh Government to put a full package of support together for any company considering relocating or starting up in Wales. We are not seeing companies relocating – in fact just the opposite with existing companies in Wales announcing major investments in our region, including the recent £100m for the Airbus Broughton facility, which is expected to create 550 new jobs.
Q) What industry changes would you like to see made that would make your life easier?
We find that companies can be a little reticent to share good news stories with their regional clusters and sometimes they don’t realise just how innovative they are. We would love to be able to share your good news stories and do more to promote this amazing UK sector through our social media channels, events and publications. That way, we can reinforce our sector’s reputation – not just in the UK, but on a global stage
Q) Finally, where next for Aerospace Wales?
We will continue to expand upon the foundations we’ve laid in the last 12 months with our expanded team within Aerospace Wales and the newly-formed Space Wales to give our member companies as many opportunities as possible to network and grow their own organisations.
We will continue to build on the success of our bi-annual Aerospace Wales Showcase Expo and we’re hoping to hold later this year an Awards Dinner in South Wales. We’re also looking forward to getting back on to the exhibition circuit. Having already exhibited at MRO Americas and JEC World this year, we’re looking forward to the Farnborough Airshow and then onto MRO Europe.
The Aerospace Wales team will be at the Farnborough Airshow on stand 1221 within the UK Pavilion, whilst Space Wales will be exhibiting on stand 4212 in the Space Zone in Hall 4.
Ammanford has cause to celebrate this weekend after the successful local business 925 Treats opened another clothing and accessories store in the town centre.
The company has seen a massive success rate since the pandemic, after opening a shop in Carmarthen’s Merlins Walk and, earlier this year, another outlet at Llanelli’s Trostre Retail Park.
The latest ‘Treats’ store will now run hand-in-hand with their already existing Ammanford store which is conveniently situated just across the road.
The new store was officially opened yesterday morning (Friday), and it’s obvious that the local fashionistas are delighted with its arrival.
“The clothes are out of this world,” said one impressed shopper while another commented ‘I loved all the clothes and the shop looks amazing’.
The new Treats is open Monday to Saturday, between 9.30am and 5pm.
