The Bulls loose forward is in line to feature against the Wallabies when the Rugby Championship starts next weekend.
The Springbok eighthman battle is firmly heating up and although there was a lot of talk about Evan Roos being omitted from the Bok squad for the start of the Rugby Championship, and Elrigh Louw coming in, coach Rassie Erasmus insists that everyone is still in the mix.
After the retirement of Bok legend Duane Vermeulen after last year’s World Cup, and next-in-line Jasper Wiese being ruled out of the first six Bok games of the season due to a heavy suspension he picked up for a red card in the English Premiership, Roos was expected to get a huge chance to impress.
But despite starting two of the Boks‘ first four games of the season, he was then left out of the touring squad to Australia which seemed to indicate the coaching staff wasn’t too impressed and would now look at Louw, who has only made one Bok appearance this season, off the bench against Portugal.
Roos started the opening match of the season against Wales, and the game against Portugal, and although he didn’t do much wrong, he didn’t shoot the lights out and show the skill he is known for when playing for the Stormers.
He was also not trusted with the duties at the back of the scrum against Ireland, with Kwagga Smith, who is usually a famed member of the Bok ‘bomb squad’ given the starting reins in those two Tests, and he also didn’t bring as much fire as he usually does when coming off the bench.