Ruan Nortje continues on his Bok lock pairing roundabout

Springbok newbie Ruan Nortje continues on his lock pairing roundabout as he pairs up with Salmaan Moerat in the second row for their Rugby Championship clash against Argentina in Santiago on Saturday (11pm).

Nortje didn’t play in any of the Boks’ first five games of the international season, but has started the last three in a row, all with different second row partners.

His first game, the second Wallabies Test Down Under, saw him partner with Moerat, while in the first All Blacks Test at Ellis Park he linked up with Pieter-Steph du Toit, and in the second in Cape Town he was alongside Eben Etzebeth.

He now partners with Moerat again against Argentina, and despite the difficulties of having a different lock partner every game, Nortje is just happy to be playing with some of the best players in South Africa.

“Everyone who plays here at the Springboks is quality and bring their own unique style of play to the game. But I don’t mind at all who I play with. Whether it’s Salmaan, Eben or Pieter-Steph, I am just honoured to play in this jersey alongside those quality players,” admitted Nortje.

Los Pumas challenge

Looking at the challenge that Los Pumas will pose for the Boks, Nortje said he was expecting a physical battle against a side similar to theirs, and that the forward battle would be a massive one in front of a passionate home support.

“They are similar to the Springboks as they also pride themselves on their physicality, so we know they are not going to shy away from that in the game. But we prepared well this week, and we are excited about the challenge,” said Nortje.

“We know the quality of the pack we are coming up against and the standard of their game in general, but the systems we have in place takes care of what we want to do, so it’s vital we stick to our structures on Saturday.

“The more senior guys have certainly prepared us for what to expect (from the home crowd), so it’s important to get our mindsets right for a hostile environment and one of the toughest games one can play.”