Under-fire South Africa head coach Allister Coetzee insists he has not taken a gamble by picking a side containing just 260 caps between them for Saturday's clash with Wales.
The Springboks have won just four of their 11 Tests since Coetzee took charge in April and have already lost to England and Italy on their autumn tour. Their form has seen them drop out of the top four in the world rankings and they are in danger of being in pot two for the 2019 Rugby World Cup group stage draw.
Coetzee has chosen to drop drop experienced stars such as Willie Le Roux and Bryan Habana for the Wales game and has urged his young players to play without fear at the Principality Stadium.
"It has been a terrible, tough year. But looking back, it is the right time to go this route and get something out of it," said Coetzee.
"The large number of players based overseas is a problem for us, and another 50 are leaving at the end of this year.
"We have to back players at home, and this is an indication, so players will have a look and say they would rather hang around and give themselves another shot at representing the Springboks.
"If players are based in South Africa, we have control over how they are managed. The overseas policy has not been cast in stone. We are still busy with it, and it will definitely be there in the next month or two.
"We have picked some exciting youngsters. They have been on tour with us and showing a lot of progress and enthusiasm and excitement. They have to play without fear and enjoy it.
"I am sure they will be there going forward and right up there in 2019 (World Cup). I feel it is the right time to give them Test match exposure.
"It is now time to back the youngsters. I do not see it as a gamble, but the right decision for the future of South African rugby. It is a good team."
Coetzee has given three players their debuts in the shape of wing Jamba Ulengo, inside centre Janse van Rensburg and openside flanker Uzair Cassiem, with a fourth debut off the bench possible should Jean-Luc du Preez appear.
A rotten 2016 had already seen the Springboks lose to 14-man Ireland in Cape Town for the first time in history, in addition to losing all three away games of the Rugby Championship and a record breaking 57-15 defeat to New Zealand in Durban.
While South Africa will go into the Principality Stadium clash as underdogs, they can at least take comfort from an outstanding record against Wales that has seen them win 28 of the previous 31 fixtures and Coetzee is not expecting a hangover from the Italy loss.
"I could see in training on Tuesday that we had moved on," Coetzee claimed.
"We want to revive everything, and we have good rugby players in this group. They want to score tries and that is how we have prepared.
"We had opportunities against Italy, but it was almost as if a fear of failure made the players over-think and question whether they were taking the right option, but there is a different mindset this week.
"It is about achieving trust among each other. They have to go out with belief and perform, sticking to the plan and not trying to force things."
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