Former Springboks captain Jean de Villiers believes that Rassie Erasmus has lifted any potential barriers around selection following last week’s alignment camp announcement.
South Africa’s head coach picked a 54-man group with Ntokozo Makhaza, who starred in the Varsity Cup, as the shock inclusion.
However, there were other notable picks, including Northampton Saints’ Juarno Augustus and the Scarlets’ Marnus van der Merwe, who have yet to be capped at Test level.
They have earned call-ups for their performances in Europe and their respective domestic leagues – the Premiership and United Rugby Championship – which De Villiers reckons could ‘open a can of worms’.
Boks’ different selection policy
Although there are now no restrictions around Boks selection, unlike in England, Ireland and New Zealand, the ex-skipper believed that players, to a certain extent, had to first earn their stripes in South Africa.
“It opens up a whole new can of worms for the fact that Marnus van der Merwe and Juarno Augustus are in the alignment camp,” he said on the Boks Office podcast.
“Traditionally, it was that you’ve played a couple of Test matches, you go overseas, you capitalise on the contracts there, but you’re still included in the Boks set-up.
“Now we’re seeing guys going over earlier, making a name for themselves overseas and then getting invited.”
Host Hanyani Shimange responded by throwing a couple of names out there in Jean Kleyn and Jasper Wiese, who were capped by the Boks after they moved to Munster and Leicester Tigers respectively, but De Villiers stood by his comments.
“But Jean Kleyn played international rugby [for Ireland],” he said. “For a youngster to make the decision to stay in South Africa or go overseas, it makes the decision far easier to go abroad if you want to.”
De Villiers was joined on the show by fellow Springboks legend Schalk Burger, who was delighted to see Augustus selected by Erasmus after a fine season for the Saints.
“For ‘Trokkie’ it’s well deserved. It didn’t happen overnight. He’s always been a good ball carrier when he was at the Stormers, but he’s got a bit more to him now,” Burger said.
“He’s the most dominant carrier in the Premiership, which is amazing.”
Moving from Northampton to Ulster
The one concern for De Villiers and Burger is whether the number eight has made a sensible choice in leaving Northampton.
Augustus will leave the Investec Champions Cup finalists at the end of the season in order to sign for Ulster, who have struggled in 2024/25, finishing the URC in 14th position.
“Do you think the decision to go to Ulster is a good one? I don’t know [if it is] because they’re really struggling in the URC. Saints are on this kind of roll at the moment,” De Villiers added.
READ MORE: Jean de Villiers: Rugby is not to ‘blame’ for Cornal Hendricks’ death, ‘it was a beautiful life’
Src: Planetrugby.com - https://www.planetrugby.com/news/jean-de-villiers-claims-rassie-erasmus-has-opened-a-can-of-worms-with-juarno-augustus-selection
