The results are in, and SARugbymag.co.za readers have picked Marcell Coetzee as the most ideal replacement for Pieter-Steph du Toit against the British & Irish Lions.

With Du Toit racing to prove his fitness for the Lions series, this website asked readers to pick his possible replacement on the side of the Bok scrum.

Du Toit has been out since the early stages of 2020 after suffering a serious thigh injury that required multiple surgeries and threatened to prematurely end his career.

ALSO READ: Du Toit closing in on return to play

The injury nearly cost Du Toit his leg as the haematoma quickly developed into acute compartment syndrome, which could have led to amputation if not treated quickly enough.

Du Toit has recently returned to full training with the Stormers and was set to make his comeback during their pre-season, but he suffered a nose injury in training that has delayed his return to play until the Rainbow Cup.

Vodacom Bulls-bound loose forward Coetzee was the clear favourite to wear the No 7 jersey, with 47.2 % of the votes. This would be an interesting positional change for Coetzee, who has played most of his domestic career at openside and No 8. He did, however, play at blindside in a combination with Francois Louw and Duane Vermeulen in 2014, so he would not be a complete stranger to the position at Test level.

The other clear favourite was Jean-Luc du Preez, who earned 25.06 % of the votes. Du Preez last played for the Springboks in 2018, but has been in excellent form for the Sale Sharks, where he has also doubled as a lock.

Others who gained a good percentage of votes were capped Springboks Rynhardt Elstadt (10.1%) and Arno Botha (8.9%).

Photo: Willem Loock/BackpagePix