Wales boss Wayne Pivac has backed lock Ben Carter to ‘relish’ the challenge of facing the world champions – just over 12 months after making his senior debut for Dragons!
Carter faces the biggest game of his young career as he prepares to face South Africa at Principality Stadium on Saturday evening (kick-off 5.30pm).
The 20-year-old is named among the replacements and joins regional team-mates Will Rowlands, Tane Basham and Aaron Wainwright in the huge fixture.
Carter is almost certain to win his fourth cap in the fixture and will face a big challenge against a massive South African pack – with the formidable duo of Eben Etzebeth and Lood De Jager starting in the second row for the Springboks.
However, Pivac is excited to see how the young Dragons Academy product performs on the biggest stage.
"What a great moment for him," said Pivac. "This is Alun Wyn when he was young – he came into Test matches and was up against more experienced sides and players.
"That's how you learn. It's a baptism of fire sometimes and that's certainly the case this time.
"We've got two big men in the second row and we'd like them to go for a major part of the game.
"We'll put the onus on our boys to do a lot of work and then Ben gets an opportunity. I'm sure he's going to relish it and enjoy it a lot.
"We've just got to remember how old Ben is and how much rugby he's played at senior level," added Pivac.
"But with injuries, guys like him are thrust into the environment and he'll learn a lot."
What a great moment for him... It's a baptism of fire sometimes and that's certainly the case this time...
