Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has explained Evan Roos’ initial omission from the 54-man squad that was named for the Tests against the Barbarians, Italy, and Georgia.
The Stormers loose forward was called up following Bulls No 8 Cameron Hanekom’s hamstring injury. Hanekom sustained the injury during the United Rugby Championship semi-final victory against the Sharks at Loftus.
Speaking during a press conference on Thursday, Erasmus said: “It wouldn’t be a nice thing to talk team selection now, but I saw the things people wrote. It’s definitely not a personal issue.”
Springboks’ depth was a key factor
Erasmus went on to explain that Roos‘ form – combined with the depth at eight – led to other players getting the nod ahead of him.
“At this stage he’s just competing with the best. We all have different opinions on who plays well and who doesn’t. In our opinion, he wasn’t playing as well as the other guys and that’s normally the reason we don’t select guys.
“At this stage, Juarno [Augustus; failed to pass an exit medical at Northhampton Saints ahead of his move to Ulster] and Cameron [Hanekom] are out. Evan was not playing as well as the other guys. That’s not to say he isn’t Springbok level, it’s just that Kwagga Smith, Cameron, Juarno, and Siya [Kolisi] can all play eight.
“A guy can be good enough, but there are just two or three guys who we think fit better into what we are trying to do as a Springbok team. Maybe he just doesn’t fit that plan or the other guys are a bit more settled.”
The Springboks will kick off their season with a historic match against the Barbarians on Saturday, June 28.
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Src: TheSouthAfrican.com - https://rugga.co.za/springboks/evan-roos-springbok-omission-its-not-personal-says-rassie/
