Rassie Erasmus has opened up about why Evan Roos wasn’t included in the initial 54-man Springbok squad for the upcoming tests against the Barbarians, Italy, and Georgia.
But with Cameron Hanekom sidelined by a hamstring injury in the URC semi-final versus the Sharks, Roos has now earned his chance. He’s probably well aware that this call-up is a big opportunity to prove his worth.
If there’s ever a time to show he belongs in Erasmus’ plans, it’s now.
On Roos, Erasmus explained that the decision came down to tough competition rather than any personal issue. He said, “At this stage, he’s just competing with the best. Everyone has their opinions on who’s playing well and who’s not. From our perspective, he wasn’t performing as well as the others, and that’s usually why a player misses out.
“Right now, with Juarno [Augustus, who failed his exit medical at Northampton Saints before moving to Ulster] and Cameron [Hanekom] injured, Evan is in. But before that, he wasn’t playing at the same level as some others. That doesn’t mean he’s not Springbok quality — it’s just that Kwagga Smith, Cameron, Juarno, and Siya [Kolisi] can all cover the No. 8 role,” Erasmus added.
“Sometimes a player can be good enough, but there are a couple of others who fit better into what we want to do as a Springbok team. Maybe he doesn’t quite fit the system yet or the other guys are more settled.”
