So many questions for Rassie at Bok camp as Sacha, RG push for starts

WHILE the Springbok alignment camps are not trials or even have on-field training sessions, there is a lot at stake for the 54 players attending the latest edition in Cape Town or online this week.

- ASHFAK MOHAMED

With the United Rugby Championship and other leagues around the world winding down, the Test season is almost upon us and then we will be able to participate in our favourite pastime: picking our own Bok teams for the first international against Italy on July 5 in Pretoria.

Knowing the meticulous planner that he is, you would think that Bok coach Rassie Erasmus would have already worked out what his starting XV - and indeed match-23 would be by now for the two Italy Tests and the one-off fixture against Georgia.

The general consensus this year seems to be that Erasmus would pick newcomers and relatively inexperienced players against Italy and Georgia, and then the ‘A team’ would rest before returning to face Australia and New Zealand in the Rugby Championship.

But I’m not so sure about such a strategy.

There are so many newish pushing hard for places in the Bok match-23 and even starting side that almost no player, at this stage, can be guaranteed a spot against the All Blacks in Auckland on September 6.

Let's see who should, or may, be in that bracket. Probably flank Pieter-Steph du Toit is first on that list, although even his is not a straightforward situation.