They joined a group of former Springboks to give a masterclass to children aged from just eight years old to teenagers.
Hundreds of people from the Heidedal township in Bloemfontein took part in the event staged by the SA Legends organisation which raises money to develop rugby skills for needy children and help improve their lives.
Wales Assistant Coaches Shaun Edwards and Rob Howley were joined by prop Newport Gwent Dragons prop Rhys Thomas and Cardiff Blues winger Tom James for the session.
The event involved tag rugby sessions and skill training for the children who all joined in the singing of South African folk songs to thank their trainers for the help. The event took place on playing fields right alongside the housing estate where the youngsters and their families live.
The Springbok contingent were led by former South African hooker John Allan who is a leading member of the SA Rugby Legends organisation which runs rugby sessions, school improvement schemes and crime prevention programmes around South Africa.
He said: “We all want to give something back to these youngsters and we know what we deliver makes a big difference to their lives. A lot of ex-players give of their time out here and it is great to see the Wales coaches and players taking part.
“I believe in giving people opportunities and in a very organised way we are encouraging these kids to play the game and the structure we are working to will find the best players and create a future for them.”
Another former Springbok and ex-Cardiff centre Pieter Muller added: “SA Legends is a great organisation and deserves all the help we can get to make a real difference.
“It is great to see the Wales squad taking part and I believe they all appreciated just what a difference they have made with the time they have given.”
Prop Rhy Thomas said: “It is so important to give some time to something like this and I am delighted to have been able to take part.
“It is all about encouraging young people to make something of their lives and this SA Legends scheme is providing a way forward for the kids. They clearly love their rugby and we had a great afternoon which was a delight to take part in.”
Tom James added: “Meeting all the youngsters was a great experience and they all seemed to enjoy the session so much. You can tell these youngsters don’t have a lot but they really enjoyed themselves just playing rugby.”
The praise for the sessions from the rugby stars of today and the former Springbok legends was echoed by youngsters who took part. One of them, 17 year old Christopher Minnie from Heidedal said: “It was a great honour and a privilege to meet the players and coaches from Wales.
“We have heard of them so it was wonderful to have them here coaching us how to play rugby. We know how busy these men are preparing for their games so we are all extremely grateful they have come here to help us. We send our thanks to all of them.”
