Willie lauded as Century beckons

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Willie le Roux will join an elite grouping of Springboks should he be selected for Saturday’s second Test against Italy in Gqeberha.

The Springbok fullback could become the eighth South African to earn 100 Test caps if he’s included in Rassie Erasmus’ match-23, joining Eben Etzebeth, Victor Matfield, Bryan Habana, Tendai ‘The Beast’ Mtawarira, John Smit, Jean de Villiers and Percy Montgomery on the list of Bok centurions.

Erasmus will lift the veil on his selection on Tuesday, after alluding to the fact that it’ll be a much-changed side to what was originally planned given the performance in the first Test at Loftus.

Le Roux made his Test debut against the Azzurri in Durban on the 8th of June 2013, and could reach his century against the same opposition

The 35-year-old is spoken of highly within the Bok squad.

Teammate Thomas Du Toit was full of praise for what he brings to the national setup.

“Willie is an unbelievable player, and if he gets to play his 100^th Test, we will be very proud of him,” said Du Toit. “It speaks volumes about the player that he is, and it’s important to have him in the team. One thing’s for sure, if he does play, we will try to make it as special as we can for him.”

Springbok laws and discipline advisor Jaco Peyer shares Du Toit’s sentiments, adding that le Roux has had to endure some undue criticism through his career.

“I’ve worked with Willie since he was young, and he sees things on the field that other players don’t, so it is frustrating when one sees people criticise him. As a team, we are proud of him, and if he plays, we hope to make the occasion special for him,” said Peyper.