Wales fullback Leigh Halfpenny will miss their match against the Springboks in Cardiff on Saturday.
Halfpenny suffered a concussion after taking a late hit from Wallabies centre Samu Kerevi in the 74th minute of the 10 November Test that Wales went on to win 9-6.
WATCH: Kerevi hit on Halfpenny
Wales coach Warren Gatland said after the match that Kerevi had been ‘reckless’ and should have been penalised and possibly yellow-carded.
Wales assistant coach Rob Howley confirmed on Tuesday that Halfpenny would not face the Boks.
‘Leigh is out. He did some training on Saturday morning, and he was still feeling a little bit light-headed.
‘It is just a commonsense approach, really. A player’s welfare comes first. He unfortunately misses out this weekend.
‘From a back-three perspective, it gives us an opportunity to look at others,’ added Howley. ‘[Wing] Liam Williams has played at fullback, [flyhalf] Gareth Anscombe has stepped up there and Hallam Amos [who has been called up to the squad] has played there.’
In some good news for Wales, wing George North is back in training and available for selection after suffering a dead leg during the Wallabies clash.
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Howley said while Wales were on an eight-match unbeaten run, and had won their last three Tests against the Boks, they would be wary of their opponents on Saturday.
‘South Africa will be highly motivated. There’s a landscape when we play South Africa. The contact area is pretty crucial.
‘When we play South Africa, there always seems to be a lot of aerial kicking. We always enjoy playing South Africa.
‘It will be one of our toughest games this autumn, but we have certainly got a lot of self-belief and confidence. The players don’t want that streak to end.’
