LUKE Charteris is excited by the prospect of being reunited with Taulupe Faletau against South Africa but believes his Bath teammate is no longer a shoo-in for the Wales number 8 jersey,

The two former Newport Gwent Dragons aces are now teammates at the Rec after the back row forward headed over the Severn Bridge and the lock signed from Racing 92 in the summer.

They are yet to wear blue, black and white together after Faletau suffered knee ligament damage on the opening day of the season against Northampton when Charteris was sidelined by a groin strain.

Faletau made his return with 55 minutes against Bristol last weekend to prove he is ready for a Test return, but the Pontypool-raised number eight has to be content with a spot on the bench with Gloucester's Ross Moriarty getting the chance to build on his strong showings.

"Toby is a quality player and I've really enjoyed being back with him every day at Bath," said Charteris. "The little things he does in training make you realise what a great player he is.

"He was looking really sharp but unfortunately us Welsh boys didn't give a good account of ourselves in the first few weeks – I went down in pre-season and Toby went down a few minutes into the first game!

"He has done well to come back from that injury as quickly as he has and he is looking really sharp.

"I am sure he will get some game time on the weekend but the good thing is that in his absence Ross has really stepped up and is putting pressure on him.

"In the past five or six years Toby has been the undisputed number one, number eight. He's always pushed himself but it's good for him to have that competition and for us to build that strength in depth."

Wales head coach Rob Howley said he was never tempted to fling Faletau straight back into the XV.

"He is a world-class player and will have a big impact off the bench," said the caretaker boss. "Looking at South Africa's selection, we felt this was the best thing to do."