Flank Heinrich Brussow did not travel with the Springbok “dirt-trackers” to Leicester last night but instead stayed at home with the probable Test XV after a late injury to Pierre Spies.

The Bulls No8 withdrew from the tour to Britain, France, Italy and Ireland on Monday night because of a broken finger, paving the way for Brussow to return to the Test side.

Brussow’s initial inclusion in the team to meet Leicester at Welford Road on Friday was a clear indication that he would not start the first Test against France in Toulouse on November 13.

Coach Peter de Villiers was going to experiment with a back row comprising Spies at No8 and Ryan Kankowski and Schalk Burger on the flanks.

However, due to Spies’s injury, Kankowski will almost certainly play at No8, with Burger moving into the No7 jersey and Brussow reclaiming possession of the No6 shirt he had seemingly made his own this season.

Sharks flank Jean Deysel has been called up as cover for Spies and left with the squad for Leicester last night. Deysel will be on the bench against the English club champions. The Bulls’ Dewald Potgieter will occupy the openside flank role with Davon Raubenheimer playing on the blindside.

Brussow’s inclusion in the dirt-tracker side did raise some concerns about what he had done to deserve being dropped. Along with flyhalf Morne Steyn and scrumhalf Fourie du Preez, Brussow has been the best player in South Africa and, by extension, the world this year.

De Villiers clearly wants to experiment on tour, considering the large 37-man squad, but Brussow’s possible omission from the Test side seemed illogical.

It’s not an unusual situation for the 23-year-old Free Stater, though. Earlier this year he was left out of the initial squad to face the Lions, but produced a superb individual display for the Cheetahs against the tourists that forced De Villiers to pick him, after it became clear that Burger was struggling with an injury.

Brussow revelled in the first Test in Durban and earned the man-of-the-match award. He was dropped for the second Test as Burger returned to full fitness, but played a vital role in the final 20 minutes of the match to help the Boks to seal a famous series win.

Burger was banned for eight weeks following charges of eye-gouging and Brussow has been ever-present since. Even when Burger’s ban was over he was selected to the bench only, before a late injury saw him start in the unfamiliar No7 jersey against the All Blacks.

Brussow now has a chance, through Spies’s injury, to remind De Villiers why he should never have been dropped in the first place.
Sourced via timeslive.co.za

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