Rassie Erasmus has explained the reason for Evan Roos’ initial omission from the 54-man Springbok squad for matches against the Barbarians, Italy and Georgia.
The Stormers No 8 was only called up to the squad after Cameron Hanekom suffered a hamstring injury during the Vodacom Bulls’ URC semi-final win against the Sharks at Loftus on Saturday.
“I saw the things people wrote [about Roos’ omission],” Erasmus told the media on Thursday. “If anyone talks to Evan, he will tell you himself that there’s definitely not a personal issue [between us].”
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Erasmus said Roos’ form for the Stormers, and the Springboks’ depth in his position, had been deciding factors.
“We all have different opinions on who plays well and who doesn’t. In our opinion, Evan wasn’t playing as well as the other guys and that’s normally the reason why we don’t select guys. And that’s not to say the guy is not Springbok level or can’t play Springbok rugby. It’s just that Kwagga [Smith], Cameron, Juarno [Augustus] and Siya [Kolisi] can all play eight.
“A guy can also be good enough, but there are just two or three other guys who we think fit [better] into what we are trying to do as a Springbok team. How we attack, how we defend, what we do in lineouts, and so on. Maybe he just doesn’t fit that plan or the other guys are a bit more settled.”
MORE: Stormers coach on Roos’ Bok snub
Erasmus said Hanekom’s injury and Augustus’ failure to pass an exit medical at Northampton Saints ahead of his move to Ulster meant Roos was next in line.
“I watched the Bulls game live and saw when Cameron’s hamstring went. That evening I phoned him through our manager Charles [Wessels] and said, listen, you’re flying tomorrow [to join the Springbok squad].”
Photo: Daniel Hlongwane/Gallo Images
