Ruan Nortjé thrilled to play alongside Salmaan Moerat again: ‘It’s a real honour’
· Citizen
Springbok lock Ruan Nortjé is looking forward to partnering up with his good mate Salmaan Moerat in the second row when the Boks take on Italy in their Nations Championship clash at the Allianz Stadium in Turin on Saturday (kick-off 1:40pm).
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Nortjé and Moerat, who are both 28, were in the same age group growing up, played together for the Junior Springboks in 2017, and both made their Springbok debuts in 2022 against Wales; Moerat in the Test in Pretoria and Nortjé a week later in Bloemfontein.
The two have gone on to feature together for the Boks on three occasions, against the Wallabies and Argentina during the 2024 Rugby Championship, and last year against Italy in Gqeberha.
They will now link up for the fourth time this weekend and Nortjé is excited to again play with someone he admired growing up.
“Salmaan and I are from the same age group and we played together at the Junior Springboks. So for me, each time I get to play with him it’s a real honour,” said Nortjé during a Bok presser on Wednesday.
“I’ve looked up to him since I was a schoolboy and seeing him play at Paarl Boys so I’m very excited to join up with him again.
“I think a lot of credit has to go to him. He’s been through a lot with injuries and stuff, but he fights his way back into the squad. I’m really glad for him and excited to join up with him in the second row.”
Italy match
The Boks are looking to pick up a good win first up over Italy, with tough matches against France and Ireland to follow, and although the hosts are weakened this year by a large number of injuries, they could still produce a strong challenge.
Last year on Italy’s tour to South Africa, the visitors brought a weakened side and gave a powerful Springbok team a big scare in the first Test at Loftus, where they fought back to 35-24 at a stage in the second half before going down 42-24.
“I wouldn’t say we underestimated Italy in last year’s game in Pretoria because it was the first game of the year for us, but it certainly showed that 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,” explained Nortjé.
“So for us the important things are to match their intensity, pitch up on the day, and to stick to our structures and what we want to do.”
Nortjé also reflected on his sudden rise in the Bok pecking order, after making his debut in 2022, with him then having to wait until 2024 for his second cap, and he has since gone on to play a further 23 times, the majority as the starting No 5.
“It feels like yesterday, but these last two years have flown by. So much has happened. I think I was just in a privileged position to be in the right place at the right time, and I’m blessed to have received an opportunity,” admitted Nortjé.
“There are a lot of players around me who make life much easier, and that speaks to what this Springbok culture is all about.”