Rob Howley is ready to resist the claims of Taulupe Faletau and Sam Davies on Thursday when he selects his team to start Wales’s defining autumn match against South Africa on Saturday.

Faletau, the British and Lions No 8, has played only 55 minutes since recovering from a knee injury he sustained two months ago. Although he has impressed in training he is likely to be employed from the bench, with Howley playing it safe by selecting Ross Moriarty between Sam Warburton and Justin Tipuric on the flanks.

Moriarty, the 22-year-old Gloucester back-row, has been one of Wales’s few bright points during a series in which they were hammered by Australia, before scraping past Argenetina and then, quite embarrassingly, against Japan at the weekend.

Davies’s place among the replacements will be more contentious. The 23-year-old came on with 13 minutes left as Wales struggled to put away the Brave Blossoms and was on hand to slot home a cool dropped goal in the last 10 seconds to spare his country’s blushes in the 33-30 triumph.