South Africa legend Jean de Villiers does not believe that Johan Goosen is the answer at fly-half as the Autumn Nations Series draws closer.
Head coach Jacques Nienaber named a 26-man squad on Tuesday for a three-day training camp in Stellenbosch, which included just one designated fly-half in Goosen.
The Boks are down to the bare bones at pivot with Handre Pollard currently injured and Elton Jantjies exiled.
Damian Willemse can operate in the primary playmaking slot but he has generally been preferred at full-back, rotating with the experienced Willie le Roux.
Few options at 10
“10 is the biggest worry position from a South African point of view. (Handre) Pollard being injured, Willemse that can do a job there, but I’m still of the view that 12 is his best position,” De Villiers told reporters.
“And then it’s kind of what is next? I don’t think it’s right to include Elton Jantjies in that set-up as he needs to sort out his personal life and, in my opinion, that’s way more important than rugby.
“Fly-half is the position where not a lot of answers were given throughout the Rugby Championship, and definitely going into the tour that’s going to be a big concern.
“Even though the Springboks kick a lot off of nine, you do need that general to take control of the game, and even more when you play up north.
“So, that’s one big red flag. We are very limited at 10 at the moment and long term they’ll probably go with Goosen; whether they go with him now already …”
Goosen was seen as a potential generational talent when he played for the Cheetahs, but injuries have ultimately disrupted his career.
After leaving the Bloemfontein-based outfit in 2014, the fly-half had stints with Racing 92 and Montpellier in France before signing for the Bulls.
That is where the 30-year-old appeared to rejuvenate his career, putting in a string of impressive displays, but once again injury set him back.
He returned to action at the start of this campaign after being out since October 2021 due to a serious knee problem, but De Villiers believes that Goosen has not yet found his best.
Poor form
“I don’t think Goosen has shown enough. Certainly, his form before his injury was fantastic, but I don’t think he has shown the same form coming back yet. The current form of the Bulls also hasn’t helped,” the ex-Bok captain told reporters.
“If you had to go into a game tomorrow, I would go with Damian Willemse at 10, and Willie le Roux at 15. I just like the balance that that brings to the team.
“Yes, the one has 10 on his back and the other 15, but they can interlink and change over in that position, which I think really helps.
“Also you have that left-right combination in terms of kicking if you want to kick off 10. And defensively Damian is really strong in that channel … and from an attacking point of view, depending on where you are on the field, they can interchange.”
South Africa face the top two ranked teams in the world when they take on France and Ireland in the Autumn Nations Series next month.
They then go head-to-head with Italy before finishing the campaign with another tough game in the shape of England.
Click Here: gold coast titans shirt