Moerat selection a celebration of history: 'He's been destined to be a Springbok'

When Salmaan Moerat strides out onto the lush Loftus turf for his Springbok debut during the first Test against Wales on Saturday, he will achieve a lifelong goal that, several times during his career, looked like it might never happen.

The 24-year-old lock has endured a nightmarish run of injuries for someone as young as he is - and, at one stage in April last year, there were no guarantees that he would recover from a neck injury that had threatened his profession.