Why Taulupe Faletau didn't come out of the tunnel when South Africa v Wales kicked off

Taulupe Faletau failed to emerge from the tunnel when Wales v South Africa kicked off after injuring his side during the warm-up, it has been confirmed.

Faletau was conspicuous by his absence as the teams came out, with Josh Navidi starting instead and Taine Basham on the bench. Faletau had played a full part in the warm-up not long before the game but hurt his side in an incident that was a huge blow for the Welsh team so close to kick-off.

Wales had already suffered an early setback on the morning of the match, with Gareth Anscombe ruled out of the matchday 23 with a rib injury. That saw Rhys Patchell called onto the bench.

There was a further blow to come with Dan Lydiate leaving the field after just 15 minutes after a clash of heads with Ryan Elias as Handre Pollard powered over for the opening score. That saw Alun Wyn Jones called onto the pitch to play number six.

The likes of Josh Adams and Louis Rees-Zammit also appeared to be struggling, with Adams' leg heavily strapped and Rees-Zammit nursing a back problem. The players were not helped by the state of the Cape Town pitch, which was cutting up and branded "absolutely lethal".

You can follow the Wales match live here.

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