Overview
- Evan Roos has been handed a starting berth against Scotland on Saturday, which will be his ninth Test after eight previous caps from the bench.
- Springbok coaching group, led publicly by Duane Vermeulen and supported by skills coach Tony Brown and the SA Rugby mobi-unit, say they have been training Roos on positional discipline and other 'soft skills' needed at Test level.
- Roos brings strong attacking form and physicality to the role, having finished the URC regular season as the leading try-scorer with 12 tries for the Stormers.
- His selection follows criticism of decision-making and discipline at times for the Stormers, so Roos must combine his energy with cleaner play to avoid costly penalties and turnovers.
- The Nations Championship is being used to test squad depth, and Roos’s performance in this match will directly influence future Springbok selection and whether the coaches can translate franchise-style ball carrying into structured Test roles.