Despite missing players like Jasper Wiese, Elrigh Louw and Cameron Hanekom – coach Rassie Erasmus feels there’s sufficient cover in the Springbok squad to fill the void at No 8.
With Wiese still serving a suspension that rules him out of the first three Rugby Championship Tests, questions have swirled around who will anchor the Bok scrum against the Wallabies at Ellis Park on 16 August. But Erasmus has dismissed any concerns, pointing to the versatility and experience of his current loose forward contingent.
In the current squad, Kwagga [Smith], Marco [van Staden] and Cobus [Wiese] can all play there,” Erasmus said at a press conference in Johannesburg.
Cobus Wiese started at the back of the scrum in the Boks’ final Test of the July series against Georgia, while Jean-Luc du Preez filled the role against the Barbarians. Smith, meanwhile, has a proven track record in the No 8 jersey from some of the Boks’ biggest battles, and is widely tipped to get the nod against Australia.
Stormers bruiser Evan Roos, whose only Test cap came off the bench against Italy in 2024, has once again missed out on selection. But Erasmus was quick to shut down any talk of friction between the player and Bok management.
“I know everyone talks about the Evan Roos thing. I think you can phone Evan – all is good there,” Erasmus said.
“He knows what he has to work on. We’ve had discussions with Dobbo [Stormers coach John Dobson] and Felix [Jones] about him getting more game time.”
With several loose forwards already in camp and more returning soon – including Jasper Wiese for the second All Blacks Test – Erasmus said it made little sense to bring in more bodies who would only be training.
“It’s lekker to have that depth,” he added.
“But we don’t want to waste the players’ time. Evan might still come into the mix a little later
