When Bradley Roberts makes his Test debut against the Springboks on Saturday it will be the culmination of a year spent tracking the movements of the Durban-born hooker by Wales coach Wayne Pivac.

SA-born hooker set to make Wales debut against Boks

“We have people who are out there looking at who is eligible, who qualifies for the different countries,” Pivac told Wales Online, explaining how he first came to learn of the former Maties rake. “That came on our radar after he was put into the Ulster squad last season.”

Pivac is eager not to lose sight of his target as Roberts’ contract with the Irish region expires at the end of this season and he will then become ineligible to represent Wales, due to a 60-cap rule in effect, unless he is snapped up by one of Cardiff, Dragons, Ospreys or Scarlets.

“We’ve watched him across this season, looked at last season, the bits and pieces that he’s had,” added Pivac. “We see an exciting prospect. He’s not the tallest of players, but in the modern game he’s short and robust and very hard to tackle with good footwork.

“We see him in the attacking side of the game having a lot of skill and a lot of ability.

“He’s got a good defensive brain on him. From Gethin Jenkins’ point of view, he likes what he’s seeing and we are going to see him on the biggest stage against South Africa, against the country of his birth.

“I know he’s got family flying over and it’s a big occasion for him. We are going to learn a lot and he’s going to learn a lot.”