Now that we know who coach Rassie Erasmus has picked for the Rugby Championship Tests against the Wallabies in Australia next month, the next question is Who will make up the matchday-23, and especially the starting XV.
No less than 12 World Cup winners from 2019 and 2023 are not part of the 33-man squad named by Erasmus on Tuesday, including Faf de Klerk, Franco Mostert, Jasper Wiese, Trevor Nyakane, Steven Kitshoff, Canan Moodie and Damian Willemse, for various reasons. This has opened the door for several newcomers to the Bok squad this season to possibly get their chance in the Tests in Brisbane and Perth on August 10 and 17 respectively.
Here one thinks of Ben-Jason Dixon, Johan Grobbelaar, Elrigh Louw, Ruan Nortje, Gerhard Steenekamp, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Aphelele Fassi, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, and Morne van den Berg, among others.
Erasmus big decisions ahead of the world champions next Test will be about who to play at fullback, flyhalf, scrumhalf, eighthman and hooker. The other positions in the team are fairly settled even if Lukhanyo Am might put some pressure on Jesse Kriel at 13 and Vincent Koch could get the nod over Frans Malherbe.
Fullback and flyhalfWith the versatile Willemse injured, the obvious choice to play fullback is Willie le Roux, but he has been concussed recently, while Fassi and Feinberg-Mngomezulu have shown excellent form, and tick many boxes. Both these men are in the running to start in Brisbane. Much could depend on who Erasmus backs as his flyhalf.
