'Í'm bigger and stronger': Rookie lock has a point to prove against Boks
SPOTLIGHT: Wales will have a mammoth task in the physical exchanges against the Springboks at Twickenham on Saturday.
Rassie Erasmus’ side will enter the match with a powerful pack of forwards, while Gatland will be giving a few rookies a chance to show their worth.
One stat that has stood out above the rest reveals that Eben Etzebeth has more Test caps (119) than Wales’ entire pack (118).
The second-row battle will be an intriguing one with the experienced Etzebeth and Franco Mostert, who have 192 caps between them, going up against Dragons duo Matthew Screech (one cap) and Ben Carter (11 caps).
Ben Carter 100% deserves his 🏴 start on merit, he’s a great player!
Of 🏴 locks in the URC this season:
– best tackle % (8th in URC overall)
– most LO takes per 80 (🐉 best LO in 🏴)
– 3rd most tackles per 80
– 3rd fewest pens per 80
– 5th most gainline successes per 80 pic.twitter.com/nmLjZfR9zd— RugbyStat + Cat 📊🐈⬛ (@HuwGriffinRugby) June 18, 2024
“It is exciting,” Carter told BBC’s Scrum V podcast.
“They are the world champions so who better to test yourself against.
“I love playing with Screech, he has been a great help to me coming through at the Dragons and I’m looking forward to doing it in the Welsh shirt.”
Carter’s last Test match was the 16-52 defeat to the Boks in a World Cup warm-up in Cardiff last year.
He missed this season’s Six Nations due to a hamstring injury and he used the time away from the field to bulk up.
He will be hoping his bigger frame helps him against the Bok heavyweights on Saturday.
“I am probably five or six kilos bigger,” said Carter.
“I put a lot on when I was injured with my hamstring and in the first few games I was a bit worried it was too much, but I feel I have got used to it and carrying that extra weight in collisions.
“It will only benefit me in my career the quicker I can get used to being a bit heavier.
“If I can get to a point with my fitness levels where I was before, that will only be beneficial.
“One of my work-ons since the start of my professional career has been the collisions and physicality.
“This season I put a big focus on getting bigger and stronger to help in that aspect, so Saturday will be a brilliant test.”
Source: BBC & Scrum V podcast
