SA director of rugby Rassie Erasmus provided a strong hint that Bok flyer Canan Moodie would start against England, admitting there is a ‘temptation’ to recall the youngster for the world cup semi-final on Saturday.

Moodie has started both of his world cup games at outside centre, after exploding onto the international scene on the wing for the Springboks.

It would be a surprise to see the 20-year-old get the nod for Saturday’s semi-final against England – a rematch of the 2019 World Cup final – following Jesse Kriel’s mammoth performance in the quarter-final victory against hosts France.

However, during a press conference yesterday, Erasmus provided several hints about the changes that could be made to the matchday squad, mentioning Moodie and a change in the half-back pair.

“There’s a temptation to put Moodie in the mix with the way England plays, along with going for a six-two split,” Erasmus said.

“There’s a lot of temptations because we have a 33-man squad where everyone is fit and that’s probably the reason why we’re announcing our squad only 48 hours before the game.

“We also would like to see what England will do and the way they’re going. When France went six-two, we went five-three.

“The half-back pairing and the fly-half may switch around and Lukhanyo Am is looking great, but so is Canan.

“Jean Kleyn can also bring a lot from a physical perspective as England has very good lineout options.”

Moodie’s potential recall was given further legs as he was also on press conference duty yesterday. It is very seldom that players appear before the media, if they aren’t involved in a matchday lineup.

“I think England are a very good team,” Moodie said. “For me, if I get the opportunity [to play], I will make the most of it.

“It’s all up to the coaches, we trust the coaches and whatever plans they have. They will put the right squad out there for Saturday.”