Can Bismarck power his way into Rassie’s first Bok squad tonight?

SEVERAL South Africans will be involved for Montpellier in tonight’s Top 14 semifinal against Lyon at the 60 000-seater Groupama Stadium, but the one man who’ll be more closely watched than any other by new Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus is veteran hooker Bismarck du Plessis.

Erasmus will tomorrow night name his first squad since becoming Bok boss – for the one-off Test against Wales in Washington next Saturday and for the three-Test series against England that follows that – and it is expected he will pick 40 men in his enlarged group, with 26 going to the USA next Wednesday. The other 14 men will stay behind in South Africa to prepare for the visit by Eddie Jones’ England.

One of the major topics of discussion ahead of tomorrow’s announcement revolves around the hooker position because first choice Malcolm Marx is not available for selection until late in June. Last year’s SA Rugby Player of the Year would have been the starter in all three Tests against England.

Erasmus has now got to find a new man to wear the No 2 jersey and the good news for him is Bongi Mbonambi, who was the Bok back-up hooker behind Marx for most of last season, has recovered from a burst appendix in time to be considered for Test duty next month. The Stormers man has missed most of this season’s action, but returned to play last week and should be one of the hooker’s in Erasmus’ squad.

One other will be veteran Sharks man Chiliboy Ralepelle, who brings vast experience to the position, with his fellow provincial mate Akker van der Merwe also in the mix to get a first run at Test level.

Du Plessis though – in the absence of Marx - is also very much an option for Erasmus. At 34 and with 79 Tests behind him he’s a man who could easily fill one of three regular hooker slots in the Bok squad. Former captain Adriaan Strauss, who has been in decent form this season after retiring from international rugby at the end of the 2016 season, is not likely to be considered for the Boks again even though he indicated recently he might think about coming out of retirement.

If Du Plessis is to be a Bok squad member again – his last Test was in 2015 – he will have to show Erasmus he is ready, fit, and has the hunger for Test rugby. Tonight’s match could go a long way in swaying the Bok boss’s mind.

Either way, if Du Plessis is picked he won’t feature in the USA next weekend – and neither will any overseas-based player – as the match falls outside the international Test window. South Africa-based players only are thus expected to take on Wales next Saturday night.

Besides Du Plessis, centre Frans Steyn, loose-forward Duane Vermeulen, scrumhalf Faf de Klerk, outside back Willie le Roux and prop Vincent Koch are Europe-based players who could be called up for Test duty by Erasmus.

In the absence of the injured Warren Whiteley and Eben Etzebeth – the two men who led the Boks last year – Erasmus will also have to name a new team leader next week. Siya Kolisi is the hot favourite for the job, but other contenders would include Handre Pollard and Duane Vermeulen.

The Boks will get together in Joburg on Sunday and train there until Wednesday, when the 26 players to travel to the USA will be named.