The last of his 11 appearances for Wales was against was against South Africa last August and he intends to make the most of his latest chance to establish himself in the Welsh squad.
The Dragons lock played in the 52-16 defeat in a World Cup warm-up game last summer and was unlucky to miss the cut for the tournament in France. He played in the win over the Barbarians in an uncapped match last November, but then got hit with a bad hamstring injury.
He will start at Twickenham on Saturday alongside his Dragons second row partner Matthew Screech. Opposite them will be Eben Etzebeth, who boasts 119 caps to 120 in the whole of the Welsh pack, and Franco Mostert.
It will be the third time Carter has faced the Boks. He got in the final few minutes of the 23-18 defeat in Cardiff against the South Africans back in 2021.
“I am probably five or six kilos bigger than I was lasat time I played or Wales,” Carter told the Scrum V podcast. “I put a lot on when I was injured with my hamstring.
“In the first few games back I was a bit worried it was too much, but I feel I have got used to it. If I can get to a point with my fitness levels where I was before, that will only be beneficial.
“One of my work-ons since the start of my professional career has been the collisions and physicality. This season I put a big focus on getting bigger and stronger to help in that aspect, so Saturday will be a brilliant test.”
