Unluckiest Players To Miss Out On Bok Rugby Championship Squad

Neethling Fouche

One of the most striking and moving moments of the Incoming Series was when the Stormers hard man had tears streaming down his face during the singing of the national anthem ahead of his Test debut against Georgia.

Fouche was solid when he got his first taste of rugby in the Green and Gold when he came off the bench in the season-opening 54-7 win over the Barbarians, and when he started as part of an all-uncapped front row at Mbombela Stadium.

He didn’t cross the whitewash in the 55-10 triumph like his fellow front-rankers Boan Venter and Marnus van der Merwe, but delivered at scrum time and did the basics well.

Rassie Erasmus has opted for the younger Asenathi Ntlabakanye as the third-choice tighthead behind Wilco Louw and Vincent Koch. While the Lions’ Leviathan has plenty of upside, I feel Fouche is the more polished and well-rounded option.

Boks Shake Things Up For Rugby Championship

Vincent Tshituka

Of the new players blooded by the Boks so far this year, no one maximised their minutes more than Tshituka.

After impressing with a two-try effort against the Barbarians, the all-action loose forward showed he belonged with a stellar performance in his Test debut against the Azzurri at Loftus Versfeld.

He was unlucky to have a try chalked off by a controversial obstruction call, and saved a try on the other end with a vital breakdown intervention, while he was good as an added lineout jumper as well.

I’d suggest the reasons that Jean-Luc du Preez was retained ahead of him were due to seniority, and that the 29-year-old didn’t get the match minutes he was expected to, as he suffered a head knock against the BaaBaas.

Evan Roos

Even though Erasmus has claimed he has nothing personal against Roos, there’s smoke where there’s fire.

Bafflingly omitted from the Boks’ first 54-man group of the year, the Stormers No. 8 was only recalled after Cameron Hanekom and Juarno Augustus fell out due to injuries.

Despite producing an explosive cameo in the 45-0 shutout of Italy, Erasmus overlooked him to start in the absence of the suspended Jasper Wiese against Georgia, deciding instead to deploy Cobus Wiese, who’d never played at eighthman before.

Roos’ omission may not have come as a shock, but the 25-year-old remains unlucky considering his athleticism, skillset, and the excellent United Rugby Championship season he had.

Makazole Mapimpi

He might be a veteran, but Mapimpi has shown no signs of slowing down. He had a magnificent United Rugby Championship season for the Sharks and carried that form into his sole Bok outing of the year so far.

The 34-year-old didn’t put a foot wrong in the second meeting against Italy, scoring one of South Africa’s seven unanswered tries and putting Grant Williams in for another.

Unfortunately for him, though, the recalled Edwill van der Merwe was even better, scoring a brace in his Man of the Match performance and dotting down twice again in another top-notch outing against the Lelos.