Whether he gets selected for the final Rugby Championship against Argentina or not, Bok scrumhalf Grant Williams is happy to continue playing the role he currently fulfils in the squad.
Williams, with only three caps behind his name, has been making a strong case to be selected over the next couple of tests in the build-up to the 2023 Rugby World with some exciting cameos off the bench.
There are also talks of him being the Springboks' World Cup bolter just like Herschel Jantjies was back in 2019.
He had a lively performance in the opening Rugby Championship test against Australia at Loftus Versfeld that saw him selected for this past Saturday's test against the All Blacks.
And just like he provided a much-needed spark in that Wallaby clash, he injected some pace behind the Springbok forwards as the World Champions fought back from a struggling first half to end on a high in the 35-20 loss to New Zealand.
Williams says the backing of the management has allowed him to slot in effortlessly with the Boks seeing that he has been part of the setup since 2021.
"If you look at coach Ras (Rassie Erasmus), coach Jacques (Jacques Nienaber), coach Stokke (Mzwandile Stick) , just everyone backing me, and the guys around me. That makes a big difference," Williams said of his time in the national setup.
"I am just happy that they back me to go out and play. I've been part of the setup for quite some time and I am learning a lot from the experienced scrumhalves.
"I'm just finding my way in the squad."
According to the 26-year-old, they will learn a lot from the defeat to New Zealand which can help as they prepare for the World Cup. South Africa and New Zealand will meet again later this year at Twickenham in London for a warmup match ahead of the tournament in France.
On Saturday, the Boks played without an out-and-out flyhalf, while there were several changes from the side that beat Australia in Pretoria. This halted their momentum a bit.
"We will take out some positives (from the test) and build on our game. I think we could have been better in the aerial battle. It’s something small the All Blacks changed in their game.
"There's lots of learning.
"I don't know if I will be involved in the next couple of games, but I'm assuming I will be part of the bigger group and I need to fulfill my role in the squad. That's what I am doing at the moment."
IOL Sport