CAPE TOWN – With the British & Irish Lions Series done and successfully dusted, the Springboks have now shifted their focus to the Rugby Championship.
With their first match against Argentina in Port Elizabeth on Saturday, here are four players who can use the opening Test of the Championship to prove themselves to Bok coach Jacques Nienaber.
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Jasper Wiese
When Wiese came into the Bok mix, he stepped into a whole lot of pressure.
Duane Vermeulen was, needless to say, a massive figure in the Springbok group, and when he was ruled out of the Lions Series, the mission was to find someone to step in at No 8, and both Wiese and Kwagga Smith got a chance to do that.
While he didn’t make a massive impact in the second Test, he was replaced just as he started getting into it. But he no doubt still has a lot of convincing to do in the Bok jersey. And the first Argentina Test presents the perfect chance for him to do just that.
Joseph Dweba
The exciting hooker finally gets his chance, and man, is it well deserved!
He has shown how he can move with the ball with his vigorous carries, and he also knows how to find the try line.
The livewire front-rower sure brings presence to a field, and now’s the time to take it to the Test arena.
Ox Nche
The prop was massively impressive in his starting berth for the Springboks in their Series-opener against the Lions, and now he has the chance to build on that.
Given how superb that performance was, it will be tough to top, but he can certainly try and produce the same quality again.
Kwagga Smith
He struggled under the high ball in the first Test when he started at the back of the scrum, but the effort didn’t lack.
This week, he’ll run on at blindside flank, and while the Boks try and fill the gap and test their combinations while Vermeulen is recovering, Smith will have every bit of motivation to deliver.
IOL Sport
