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Evan Roos has yet to be given a proper run for the Boks to show his worth, and he may not get it over the next few years.
Springbok eighthman Evan Roos has been left out of the Bok match 23 for their game against Georgia in Mbombela on Saturday. Picture: Richard Huggard/Gallo Images
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus insists that the door is not closed for Stormers eighthman Evan Roos, but his latest exclusion from the Bok team, to face Georgia in Mbombela on Saturday, feels like a significant one.
It may be best to come to terms with the fact that Roos won’t become a Springbok regular in the near future, at least not heading into the next World Cup in 2027, as the Bok management just don’t rate him highly enough, and that is okay.
The Boks are blessed with loose forward talent, even though Jasper Wiese is the only real current out and out eighthman regularly in the mix, and they won’t be hurting in the position come the World Cup Down Under.
Since making his debut against Wales in 2022 Roos has featured just eight times for the Boks, with his latest performance coming off the bench against Italy over the past weekend.
This could also end up being his only appearance in the green and gold this year, after playing three times in 2022, and twice each in 2023 and 2024.
Last year
Last year Roos played against Wales and Portugal in the mid-year internationals, but was not included in the squad for the Rugby Championship, with him then going under the knife which ruled him out of the rest of the international season which included the end-of-year-tour, and it may be the same again this year.
Erasmus, however, claims that they know what they’ve got in Roos, and thus want to test out other options in the position, which against Georgia is utility forward Cobus Wiese, who made his debut off the bench at lock against Italy last weekend.
The thing is, if it wasn’t for the injury to Juarno Augustus, Roos wouldn’t have even featured in the mid-year Tests, as he originally missed out on the squad, and that is even with players like Elrigh Louw and Ben-Jason Dixon also out injured.
If Erasmus did rate Roos he would surely have picked him to play, especially this weekend with Jasper Wiese out with a suspension, just for the player to get a chance to prove himself, as other players have been able to do, such as Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Aphelele Fassi last year, despite other options being available.
