CAPE TOWN — After six years in the international wilderness, Gio Aplon is returning to the Springboks setup at the tender age of 36.
Springboks coach Rassie Erasmus confirmed on Friday that the fleet-footed fullback/wing had been included in the squad for South Africa’s tour to the United Kingdom and France.
Aplon, who played the last of his 17 Tests for the Boks in 2012, has played in France and Japan during the past couple of years, after making his name for Western Province and the Stormers as a devastating runner from the back with an underrated left boot.
Erasmus has mainly used Willie le Roux at fullback this season, while grooming the versatile Damian Willemse in the position through the Rugby Championship.
Le Roux is probably unavailable for the Springboks’ first Test against England at Twickenham on Nov. 3 — the match falls outside World Rugby’s Test window — and Erasmus believes Aplon will add a lot of experience to the Boks’ rookie wingers in the back three.
“A guy like Damian will definitely get his chance over there, and Willie will be available for some of the games,” Erasmus said.
“But you’ve got an experienced guy who has played in France and has a great left foot, and who is playing brilliant rugby at this stage and who can help.
“I know Aphiwe [Dyantyi] is doing well and S’bu [Nkosi] is doing well, but there are not a lot of old heads around them in terms of helping the back three.
“I might be wrong in terms of that team selection, but I think [Aplon] is a good fit in terms of leadership and rubbing shoulders with some of the younger guy.”
Meanwhile, Erasmus said that he still did not have clarity about lock Franco Mostert’s availability for the tour.
Mostert is involved in a tug-of-war with the Lions and English club Gloucester, which could affect his availability for the England game. He wasn’t part of the Springboks’ week-long camp in Stellenbosch.
“The only one that I can’t give you a straight-up answer on is Franco Mostert,” Erasmus said.
“If he is currently a Gloucester player, he won’t be available for the English Test match; and if he is a Lions player, he will be.
“That’s the only reason why I haven’t named him in the squad, because I don’t have clarity yet. The nice thing about Franco is that he has played almost every single Test match so there is not a lot of stuff that he’ll have to catch up with.”
Erasmus had 20 squad members to work with at the Stellenbosch Academy of Sport this week.
It wasn’t quite Northern Hemisphere conditions, as the temperature was in the mid-30s for most of the week.
Erasmus, though, is happy with the team’s preparations.
The Boks coach will announce his full squad after the Currie Cup final between Western Province and the Sharks on Saturday.
“Looking back at the week’s training here in Stellenbosch, I’m glad to say that objectives of the camp have been met,” Erasmus said.
“I think the challenge for us this week was to make sure the players reach match intensity, because you cannot just pitch up next week against England and think that after [a break of] two weeks you’re going to be able to reach that level of match intensity.
“We tried to simulate match intensity while we also worked on many tactical things which we think England will bring to the match, and which are totally different from what we faced against New Zealand.”