The Springboks have always made it clear that the plan was for Willie le Roux to reach the special milestone of 100 Test appearances during the July Tests, although some selection planning has changed after the indifferent showing in the opening game against Italy.
There is a chance that Le Roux could be left to make his 100th appearance next weekend in the one-off game against Georgia, but reaching this special milestone in such a low-key game doesn’t seem quite right.
It does seem more likely that Le Roux will be handed the No 15 jersey for this weekend’s clash against Italy at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, with Rassie Erasmus set to reveal the team on Tuesday at 15:00.
Springbok teammate Thomas du Toit said it was an exciting prospect for Willie le Roux to become the eighth player in history to earn 100 Test caps if he is selected in the matchday squad.
“Willie is an unbelievable player, and if he gets to play his 100th Test, we will be very proud of him,” said Du Toit. “It speaks volumes about the player that he is, and it’s important to have him in the team. One thing’s for sure, if he does play, we will try to make it as special as we can for him.”
WILLIE LE ROUX SET TO JOIN SPRINGBOKS’ TEST CENTURIONS
| Player | Tests | Tries |
| Eben Etzebeth * | 131 | 7 |
| Victor Matfield | 127 | 7 |
| Bryan Habana | 124 | 67 |
| Tendai Mtawarira | 117 | 2 |
| John Smit | 111 | 8 |
| Jean de Villiers | 109 | 27 |
| Percy Montgomery | 102 | 25 |
| Willie le Roux * | 99 | 15 |
* denotes still playing
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