Veteran Willie le Roux is like a batter in the nervous nineties as he eyes his ton for the Springboks, but he will take confidence from Rassie Erasmus’ words this week at a press conference in Cape Town.
The Springbok coach said the national team is not a charity, but at the same time, he feels for 35-year-old Le Roux, who is stranded on 98 Tests as the twilight of his career intensifies, and he will do his best to get him to the big milestone.
Le Roux came tantalisingly close to notching up his 100 last year, but Erasmus could not gift him his century because younger pretenders to the fullback throne in Aphelele Fassi and Damian Willemse were playing better.
It helps Le Roux’s cause that he can play wing and flyhalf as well, and Erasmus enjoys having versatile backs on the bench because he doesn’t usually have many of them.
He famously loads his bench with forwards, and the one or two backs joining them have to be able to cover most positions in the backline.
Le Roux’s adaptability should get him those two last caps early in the Boks’ Test schedule this year. Erasmus would have noted, too, that Le Roux has been playing No 10 for the Bulls in the United Rugby Championship.
But Le Roux knows only too well that there is a pack of younger men snapping at his heels in Fassi, Willemse and Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, while Cheslin Kolbe is also at home at fullback.
“We, as a team, enjoy each other, and are emotionally attached to each other. We are a family,” Erasmus said.
“When Eben Etzebeth broke the record (for most-capped Springbok on 128), we wanted to get that match in South Africa, and it was a great occasion (the Boks were magnificent in annihilating a good Argentina team 48-7).
“We always would like to start a player when it’s a big milestone game. We would have loved to give Willie his 100th Test last year, but Fassi was playing so well.
“So, we don’t want to give away freebies. But Willie is two games away, and Sacha, Fassi and Damian haven’t played for a while (they have had long-terms injuries, and are yet to make comebacks for the Sharks and Stormers respectively).
“Fassi and Manie (Libbok) are injured. Jordan (Hendrikse) and Siya Masuku are coming through, so there are a few options. Cheslin can play fullback,” Erasmus said.
The Bok mentor has wriggle room to get Le Roux over the line because of the busy schedule ahead of the world champions – they are to play 14 Tests, plus a match against the Barbarians.
The South Africans start with two home Tests against Italy and one against Georgia, and another is to be added to the first block of games.
It is in this block that Le Roux is likely to get his opportunities.
“We will never put a person’s interest above the team, but I guess Willie deserves to play 100 games. And if you have 15 matches, with 14 being Test matches, hopefully he’ll get his 100th this year,” Erasmus concluded.
The Bok coach some time ago ruled out the possibility of Le Roux going through to the 2027 World Cup, and has suggested he may use the playmaker as an advisor after he hangs up his boots.
