Rassie's surprise pick Makhaza gets a chance to impress against Georgia
Ntokozo Makhaza during a Springbok training session in Joburg on 12 June, ahead of the start of the international season. Picture: Daniel Hlongwane/Gallo Images
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus might be the most interested viewer of Friday night's friendly match between the Cheetahs and international touring team, Georgia, in Bloemfontein.
Not only will Erasmus be keen to see how the Georgians perform in their only warm-up match in South Africa ahead of next Saturday's Test against the Springboks in Mbombela, but he'll probably also like to see how Cheetahs winger Ntokozo Makhaza goes out wide for his new team.
Remember, Makhaza was invited by Erasmus to one of the Boks' alignment camps earlier this season, following his stellar performances for the University of Cape Town's Ikeys side in the Varsity Cup. He was also part of the initial training squad ahead of the season-opener against the Barbarians.
Not only does the 23-year-old Makhaza possess strength and speed out wide, he also kicks at goal.
While Erasmus later released the promising backline player from his squad, the World Cup-winning coach said he would revisit his possible inclusion in the Bok group at a later stage. He said the player has a bright future.
'Measure myself against the best'
Having joined the Cheetahs ahead of the Currie Cup competition, Makhaza gets a chance on Friday night to show South African rugby fans who haven't yet seen him in action what he is all about.
He told OFM Sport he was looking forward to the game after getting a run against Griquas last week.
'Yeah, it was quite a step up from Varsity Cup, but I think I adjusted well as the game went on,' he said about the hit out in Bultfontein.
'Heading into the Georgia game, the big focus is going to be on physicality, but mentally I feel up for the challenge.'
He added: 'I'm very excited. Like you said, they've got an electric back three, so I want to measure myself against some of the best in the world. For me, it's always about giving my best and seeing where I stand in comparison. So yeah, I'm really excited … super excited!'
Georgia were beaten 34-5 by a severely weakened Ireland team missing their British and Irish Lions stars in Tbilisi last Saturday.
Erasmus and the rest of the Boks squad will no doubt be quite keen to see how they go on Friday night. Kick-off in Bloemfontein is at 7pm.
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