The Springboks are said to be searching for an opponent to replace the called-off second Test against Georgia. SA Rugby magazine readers were pretty clear in nominating a winning candidate, and even more emphatic that it shouldn’t be the Sharks!

The second Test between the Springboks and Georgia was scrapped due to positive Covid-19 tests in both camps.

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With the Boks having lost the opportunity to integrate the European-based players, such as Faf de Klerk and Cheslin Kolbe, who missed out on the first Test, it has been rumoured that coach Jacques Nienaber was investigating the possibility of scheduling a match against a local opponent.

Readers were asked to vote for the opponent they thought would best serve the Springboks as a warm-up match, and the options included the Sharks, Lions, Bulls, Stormers, Cheetahs, Griquas, Pumas along with the option to schedule a match against a South Africa A team made up of the non-Bok players in the 47-man squad.

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The voters were almost unanimous in ruling out the Sharks as a potential opponent with the coastal team – along with Griquas – receiving the equal-least support (2.8%), though this may be related to the Sharks enjoying the privilege of having replaced the Bulls on the British & Irish Lions schedule, twice facing the tourists this week.

Support for the Bulls to be compensated for losing out against the touring team with a match against the world champions received 26.87% of the vote, but the outright winner (53.39%) was for the Boks to have an internal scrimmage against the SA A team.