Wales' rookie locks prepared for Springboks battle

Ben Carter and Matthew Screech were part of the same Wales squad in 2021

Men’s international friendly: South Africa v Wales

Venue: Twickenham Date: Saturday, 22 June Kick-off: 14:00 BST

Coverage: Live on S4C, BBC iPlayer, BBC Radio Wales, Radio Cymru, the BBC Sport website and app, plus live text commentary followed by match report on the BBC Sport website and app

Saturday's game at Twickenham will test Wales' new second-row partnership of Matthew Screech and Ben Carter.

The Dragons duo will pack down against South Africa's lock pairing of Eben Etzebeth and Franco Mostert, whose last international game together was the World Cup final victory against New Zealand in Paris in October 2023.

Etzebeth has more caps (119) than the Wales starting pack (118) and the Springboks starting pair on the weekend have 192 internationals between them.

In contrast, the Wales pair have 12 caps, which only includes five starts, but Carter insists they will not be overawed.

"It is exciting," Carter told the 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, 23, is the more experienced player on the international stage after starting five matches in his 11 Tests so far.

His last Test was against South Africa in the World Cup warm-up match when the Springboks beat Wales 52-16 in Cardiff in August.

Carter says he has a "bit of a point" to prove after the "devastation" of missing out on the global tournament in France.

He was then forced to sit out the Six Nations because of a hamstring injury.

Carter used that period to bulk up and hopes that will help him against the Springboks.

"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.

"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."

Franco Mostert and Eben Etzebeth were the South Africa starting lock partnership in World Cup final victory against New Zealand in 2023

World Cup aim for Screech

Wales have a second-row injury crisis with Exeter duo Dafydd Jenkins and Christ Tshiunza ineligible for the South Africa match because it falls outside World Rugby's international window, which means England-based players are unavailable.

Racing 92's Will Rowlands has been rested for the summer, Cory Hill has joined Adam Beard, Teddy Williams and Rhys Davies on the injury list, while Seb Davies is suspended.

This has opened the door for Screech, who has only made one international appearance as a replacement against Argentina in 2021.

"He has been great," said Wales coach Warren Gatland.

"Matthew has come into us on a couple of occasions and we have been impressed by the way he has trained.

"He looks physically in good shape and has done a good job in the set-piece.

"I have spoken to the two second rows in terms of our expectations. They know how physical the game will be and that's part of the role in terms of embracing the challenge coming their way.

"If they do that and focus on the set-piece, that's all I can ask for. There is a big chance for them to show us where they are at."

Screech might be 31 but Gatland believes he can still prove he can make the next World Cup in 2027.

"The thing is, 31 is not old for a tight-forward," said Gatland.

"I look at it as a good age and hope players think they will still be young and fit enough for the next World Cup.

"I hope it's part of his motivation to go out there, put his hands up and play well."