A group of 56 players are hard at work at the Springbok alignment camp in Cape Town at the moment ahead of a blockbuster international season.
Bok coach Rassie Erasmus has spread his net considerably wide, with another 26 players set to attend an online session with the coaches later this month.
Erasmus said last week that there wasn’t a position that keeps him up at night with worry, but he is sometimes concerned when some players are not getting enough game-time at franchise level, or are even played out of position.
But the Bok boss mentioned that each player has to fill out assessments of their performances each weekend, and that the team-selection protocol would be explained at the camp as each player “must have a point of difference”, adding: “Some guys need to put up their hand now.”
So, here are five players who have special points of difference who could impress Erasmus this week...
Asenathi Ntlabakanye
The Lions star is built like a tighthead prop at 153kg and 1.83m, but is far from a typical No 3.
A man of his size would’ve been cast as just a scrummager in the old days, but Ntlabakanye is as modern a tighthead as you can get.
His point of difference is his devastating carries at close quarters. Scrumhalf Morné van den Berg always looks for Ntlabakanye near the rucks, and the big No 3 storms through first-time tackles almost at will.
Cameron Hanekom
So quick is Bulls No 8 Hanekom that he reminds many rugby fans of former Bok star Pierre Spies.
But the major difference between the two is that Hanekom is not shy to get stuck in physically. Such is his speed, though, that he is able to burst through defences, as he did during the incredible early line-break against the Stormers in Cape Town recently.
Add in another party trick of winning turnovers at the breakdown, and it will be hard for Erasmus to leave Hanekom out of the match-23.
Jurenzo Julius
They don’t call the Sharks midfielder the ‘boogie man’ for nothing. Something happens almost every time Julius gets the ball, with his quick feet and stepping ensuring that the defence has to stop in their tracks.
He is a baller of note, and can bring something different to the Bok attack in the mould of a Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu.
And perhaps his best position is inside centre instead of at No 13.
Ethan Hooker
A strapping figure out wide, Hooker started his senior career as a hard-running inside centre.
But he has made a good fist of it at left wing for the Sharks. He puts his body into traffic to run those hard lines to the inside, and is equally capable of keeping the width on attack to slide off tackles close to the touchline.
Hooker is also strong under the high ball, and his work-rate could give the Boks a unique dimension in the wider channels.
Jordan Hendrikse
Hendrikse is comfortable at fullback, but has made it clear that he prefers flyhalf. With the injuries to Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Manie Libbok in recent months, he could push for more game-time at No 10 for the Italy and Georgia Tests – especially if Handré Pollard is rested to feature in the Rugby Championship instead.
Sharks star Hendrikse’s massive boot is his point of difference, and he could just kick the winning penalty in the Auckland rain against the All Blacks this year.