MARK KEOHANE | Come on Fassi, Venter, Van Heerden, Wiese ― your chance is here

Aphelele Fassi, Andre Hugo-Venter and the lock pairing of Ruben van Heerden and Cobus Wiese are the quartet who have the most to gain or lose from Saturday’s Nations Championship Test against Wales in Durban.

Rassie Erasmus has given every squad player game time in the three home matches of the Nations Championship, but the squad will be trimmed for the Greatest Rivalry Test series against the All Blacks.

The Boks play the All Blacks on three successive Saturdays in South Africa and complete the fourth and final Test in Baltimore, US.

Erasmus, if the World Cup final was played on Saturday, knows his match 23. His mixing and matching in the past year is to ensure he has players who can step into a World Cup play-off if any of those preferred choices are unavailable.

The rotation of the past three Tests has nothing to do with uncertainty and everything to do with giving every player a chance to make a statement.

I feel that Fassi must deliver a statement performance against Wales. Erasmus has always rated Fassi. As has Jacques Nienaber, who gave Fassi his Test debut against Georgia.

Fassi played on the wing and scored a super try. Ever since, he has primarily been used as a fullback.

Some believe wing is his best position because of his finishing ability, but he mostly plays fullback for the Sharks.

Fassi was OK against Scotland. He must be better against Wales. He is so talented and if ever a coach is willing him to deliver the performance needed, it is Erasmus.

Wales will be determined and passionate, but they don’t have the cattle to trouble the Boks, regardless of who plays for the Boks.

Erasmus has made 10 changes to the starting XV that scored 42 points against Scotland at Loftus. That 23 had even more changes from the starting XV that scored 45 points against England.

The Boks hold a unique record of having beaten the Six Nations and Rugby Championship teams in one calendar year. They humiliated Wales 73-0 in Cardiff at the end of November.

Wales finished last in the Six Nations and have been the whipping boys of Test rugby for the past few seasons. Very little can be gained, collectively, from the Durban Test for the Springboks.

But individually, so much is at play.

Fassi has had to deal with injury setbacks this season, but there can be no extenuating circumstances in Durban, especially on his home field.

Venter is another the coach will be willing on. Malcolm Marx is the best hooker in the world, but the queue behind him is long, if not as talented.

Venter, when he is introduced, must command the position, as he has done for the Stormers this season. His ball carrying is strong, but it is his accuracy at lineout and his certainty in the basics that will get him a pass mark.

Then there’s the lock duo of Van Heerden and Wiese. They must seize the opportunity because there won’t be many more matches for them to prove they belong in this Boks set-up.

Both are good enough to play Test rugby. What they must show Erasmus is that they are good enough to do it in a play-off at the World Cup in Australia next season.

The Boks hold a unique record of having beaten the Six Nations and Rugby Championship teams in one calendar year. They humiliated Wales 73-0 in Cardiff at the end of November.

The depth of Erasmus’s squad is emphasised by his selections for Saturday. Just two players remain in the same jersey number from Cardiff. Jasper Wiese, at No 8, and Gerhard Steenekamp at No 1.

Damian de Allende started at 13 in Cardiff, and he moves back to No 12, where he has played most of his Test matches.

Erasmus has picked a team that gives every one of the quartet the chance to shine.

He has done his job, now the players must do the same.