Allister Coetzee may include up to four Blitzboks in his 31-man Springbok squad for the upcoming Rugby Championship.
Sevens stars Juan de Jongh, Seabelo Senatla, Cheslin Kolbe and Francois Hougaard are currently setting their sights on a gold medal at the Rio Olympics, but they won’t be able to have a holiday on the Copacabana afterwards as all four of them may have to report for national duty on August 14.
Coetzee will announce his squad for the Rugby Championship on Saturday after the Super Rugby final between the Hurricanes and the Lions in Wellington, New Zealand. The Boks play their first match of the competition against Argentina in Nelspruit on August 20.
“The Sevens players were not considered for the June series (against Ireland) because they were preparing for the Olympics, but they are being considered for the Rugby Championship,” Coetzee said yesterday ahead of a four-day rehabilitation camp for 19 selected players at the Stellenbosch Academy of Sport this week.
“The All Blacks did it with Sonny Bill (Williams), so we will get our Sevens players.
“They will be here in time, like the overseas-based players who will hook up with us on August 14.
“We have made sure that those who we want here will be here in time to join up with the rest of the squad.”
Although Coetzee says he still has the power to pick an unlimited number of overseas-based players, Senatla and Kolbe look set to replace Willie le Roux and JP Pietersen in the squad for the Rugby Championship after they signed contracts abroad.
However, it’s expected that the likes of Duane Vermeulen, Francois Louw and Steven Kitshsoff will again be part of the squad, while Johann Goosen could also be a surprise selection.
Coetzee knows he needs to blood youngsters like Senatla and Kolbe to experience Test rugby as he needs to build plenty of depth ahead of the 2019 World Cup in Japan.
This is a transition period for the Boks after lots of players retired or decided to pursue careers overseas. The previous Bok coaches made the mistake of not giving young players extended opportunities in the four years leading up to rugby’s showpiece event. Coetzee knows he can’t repeat the same mistakes.
“Somewhere we have got to blood these players by giving them enough opportunity to gain experience,” he said.
“Faf de Klerk, he started in the incoming series with no caps, but he performs week-in and and week-out in Super Rugby. The next step is to make sure that Faf has around 30-40 caps before the next World Cup.
“I have also got to look at the senior players and manage them because they form part of the broader picture going forward to 2019.”
Coetzee didn’t pick any Lions players for this camp because of their involvement in Saturday’s Super Rugby final. But he also didn’t want to name his squad for the Rugby Championship this week either, so that the Joburg side can keep their eyes on the prize this weekend. – The Star