Four Springboks will earn their first Test caps when South Africa host Wales at Hollywoodbets Kings Park on Saturday, with flyhalf Vusi Moyo joined by wing Jaco Williams, lock Ruben van Heerden and prop Carlu Sadie all set to debut in the Nations Championship finale.
Moyo, 20, made his senior Sharks debut earlier this season and was still featuring for the Junior Springboks before earning his national call-up last month. Speaking alongside halfback partner Cobus Reinach, the flyhalf described the moment he received the news: "When the call came through on Monday, my heart missed a beat. It's very special to be around Cobus and the other players around me."
He cited Handré Pollard and Manie Libbok among his rugby heroes and acknowledged the accelerated demands of Test rugby. "This set-up is much bigger, and you have to make decisions a lot quicker," he said.
Assistant coach Deon Davids dismissed any notion that Wales, despite losing to Argentina last week, should be underestimated. "They went through a challenging spell and worked very hard to get back on an upward curve. There are real improvements in their game — this will be a proper Test match, and we are expecting a very tough physical game."
With the Boks having won their two previous home Tests in the competition, Davids was blunt about the required mindset. "We don't talk about what we've done before. If we don't pitch up this weekend, it won't go our way."
Kickoff at Kings Park is at 17h40, live on SuperSport.