Edwill van der Merwe staying match-ready if Springbok call comes

Van der Merwe, who has scored five tries in his four Test matches so far faces tough competition at wing, with the likes of Kurt-Lee Arendse, Cheslin Kolbe, and Ethan Hooker having made strong statements out wide this season, and while he admitted that while it would be an honour to face Italy on Saturday, he was prepared to wait patiently for his chance to play.

"My theory is that life's a marathon, not a sprint," said Van der Merwe, who scored twice against Italy in the Boks' 45-0 victory in Gqeberha in the Incoming Series in July.

"The biggest thing for me is to stay prepared and ready, so whenever the call comes and the opportunity arrives to play, I can grab it with both hands."

While he will only know on Thursday if he will face Italy, Van der Merwe expected a tough duel: "They are big, physical guys, and as South Africans, we pride ourselves on a physical contest. So, we have to be very good on the weekend. They have players who can create moments of magic from the back. So, it will be a good Test."

Zooming in on the threats Italy posed, Van der Merwe singled out their play at the breakdown.

"They put a lot of emphasis on slowing down the ball and stealing it, so that will be a key focus area, but we need to be ready for whatever they throw at us," he said.

The Bok speedster was humble about his try-scoring track record, rather giving the credit to the playmakers in the team: "Those are the guys that put you into space, and as a winger, that's what you want. So, hopefully, when the opportunity comes again to play, it will be the same and I can add more tries to my tally."

The team will play the Azzurri in Turin - home city of Italian football giants Juventus - for the first time on Saturday. Despite being more of a gamer than a football fan, Van der Merwe said he was excited about the occasion.

"I'm not a big football fan, but it will be a momentous occasion," he said. "The Italian fans are very passionate, and they really get behind the team. So I'm sure the atmosphere is going to be great."

The Springboks will travel from Parma to Turin on Thursday, where they will wrap up their preparations for the clash at Friday's captains' run.