Earl Rose will start at flyhalf in the Emerging Springbok team to face the Lions at Newlands on Tuesday.

Peter de Villiers withdrew Rose from the Golden Lions’ side to play the tourists, but he will now get the chance to start alongside provincial team-mate Jano Vermaak. Coach of the Emerging Boks, Dick Muir, said it wasn’t too late for Rose - who will take the goal-kicks - to win his Test debut in this series.

‘It is an opportunity,’ Muir told keo.co.za. ‘The Bok side for Saturday hasn’t been selected yet. It’s been great to see Earl in a different environment, where he’s been a senior player, and he’s flourished.’

‘That halfback combination excites me, they’ve played together at the Lions,’ said Muir. ’There is no problem with Earl being on the bench during the Super 14, you are still part of the side and you grow. It’s a 22-man game, not a 15-man game, and Earl has grown in stature. Now the time is right for him to start.’

Muir also added fullback Zane Kirchner was unfortunate not to be in the 28-man senior squad.

‘One of the exercises of this team has been for me to get to know the players better. Zane has stood out for me, he’s an impressive individual who is unlucky not to be in the Bok squad. There is also a chance there for him.’

Muir said the Emerging XV could do their senior counterparts a favour by inflicting a crucial psychological blow on the visitors.

‘The Lions won’t be vulnerable – guys will be playing for Test spots, while for others it could be their last outing of the tour. But there is an opportunity there for us to strike a blow,’ said the Bok assistant coach.

‘We are all working towards a common goal: to win the series. It would be an added bonus for South Africa to win two in a row after the Lions had six victories under their belt.’

Cape Town has been hit with a cold front that is expected to continue throughout the match, but Muir said ideally they would like to play an expansive game.

‘You have to be sure of the conditions before you can try anything, but we certainly want to move the ball around. With this team we would have liked to play on a dry, hard surface instead of slippery and wet one, but it is a challenge for us as coaches.

‘This side also has the ability to play expansively and tight.’

The Boks used their substitutions poorly in the first Test, but Muir said the entire Emerging squad will get a game at Newlands.

‘It’s a 22-man game. Sometimes you get it right and sometimes you get it wrong. But we will use our full quota on Tuesday.

‘As a team we only had three days in Durban and got together again on Sunday, but I must give credit to captain Dewald Potgieter and the way he’s got the guys to gel. We can only see if we had enough preparation after the game and then we can judge our time together.’

Emerging Boks – 15 Zane Kirchner, 14 Luzuko Vulindlu, 13 Deon van Rensburg, 12 Morgan Newman, 11 Bjorn Basson, 10 Earl Rose, 9 Jano Vermaak, 8 Duane Vermeulen, 7 Jean Deysel, 6 Dewald Potgieter (c), 5 Wilhelm Steenkamp, 4 Steven Sykes, 3 Werner Kruger, 2 Bandisa Maku, 1 Wian du Preez.
Subs: 16 Tiaan Liebenberg, 17 Pat Cilliers, 18 Franco van der Merwe, 19 Jacques Botes, 20 Heini Adams, 21 Willem de Waal, 22 Danwel Demas.

By Grant Ball, in Cape Town

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