Ruan Nortje has thrown his full support behind Salmaan Moerat ahead of Saturday's Nations Championship Test against Italy in Turin, the pair set to start together in the second row with Eben Etzebeth sidelined by a leg injury.
Moerat's selection ahead of Lood de Jager, Franco Mostert and uncapped Riley Norton has drawn the customary social media scepticism, but Nortje was unequivocal in his support, drawing on a partnership that stretches back to the Junior Boks in 2017.
"We're from the same age group, and we played together for the Junior Boks, so every time I get to play with him, it's a real honour," Nortje said. "I've looked up to him since I saw him play for Paarl Boys' High as a schoolboy, and I'm really excited to join up with him again. He deserves a lot of credit for what he's been through with his injuries, and he always fights his way back into the squad."
Erasmus made a pointed public defence of Moerat earlier in the week, and Nortje's remarks align closely with that position.
Nortje, who started all four Tests against the All Blacks in Rugby's Greatest Rivalry earlier this year alongside Etzebeth, also reflected on his own trajectory over the past two seasons. "The last two years have flown by and so much has happened. I think I was in a privileged position to be in the right place at the right time. It sometimes still feels unreal. I just try and take each game as an opportunity and expect that it's my last one."
On the Italy challenge, Nortje pointed to the first meeting at Loftus earlier in 2025 — a 42-24 win that was harder than the scoreline suggests — as a reminder not to discount the Azzurri. "It doesn't matter which Italian team is on the field, they will always bring a lot of passion, and it's never easy against them. For us, the important things are to match their intensity, pitch up on the day, and stick to our structures."