Rassie Erasmus says Handré Pollard and Elton Jantjies knew from the start of the Rugby Championship who was set to start Saturday’s Test against Australia.

The Boks came into the tournament with a pre-planned selection strategy, and although the shock loss against Argentina in Mendoza did cause a rethink, Erasmus went ahead with several significant changes for the clash in Brisbane.

One of the talking points has been the selection of Jantjies to start ahead of Pollard, but Erasmus said at Thursday’s team announcement that everyone knew where they stood.

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Erasmus explained that the same could be said of Jesse Kriel, who was always set for an opportunity in Australia despite being released to the Blue Bulls recently.

‘Jesse knew that he was going to play in this game and we sent him to play a Currie Cup game. We also have guys like Sikhumbuzo Notshe and Thomas du Toit who we want to give opportunities in the future as part of our larger pool.’

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