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Cape Town - Dai Young, the director of rugby at English club Wasps, has called on Rassie Erasmus to pick forgotten Springboks Willie le Roux and Juan de Jongh.
Le Roux and De Jongh have impressed in the Aviva Premiership this season and the English club's mentor said he had already spoken to the Springbok coach about the duo's prowess.
"I met with Rassie about both of them and put my point across. I wouldn't be surprised if they feature in the summer (June Tests) for South Africa," Young told the KweseESPN website.
Le Roux has been so impressive for Wasps that Young said he didn't think the player could "do any more".
"Willie has been excellent all season for us and is commanding in the air. He spots great angles and hits space by scanning what is in front of him for opportunities and is playing well enough to put his hand up for a recall."
Young added that De Jongh has been "excellent" and his defence is "outstanding".
"(Juan) does all the small things really well."
Le Roux, who can play fullback and wing, played the last of his 41 Tests in the shock 20-18 loss to Italy in 2016, while midfielder De Jongh played the last of his 19 Tests in the crushing 57-15 defeat to the All Blacks in Durban that same year.
SA Rugby has a ruling which states that only overseas-based Springboks with 30 or more Test caps can be picked for the national team outside a Rugby World Cup year.
It was however recently revealed the ruling would not be cast in stone for Erasmus, which means De Jongh could come into the picture this year.
“Rassie spoke to us about it,” Mark Alexander, the president of SA Rugby, said recently.
“The rule remains, but we will consider every request by Rassie on its merits. The Boks are SARU’s flagship and we will do everything we can to give them the necessary support.”
The Springboks start their 2018 season with a Test against Wales in Washington DC on June 2, followed by a three-Test home series against England.
England’s first Test against the Springboks is scheduled for June 9 at Ellis Park in Johannesburg, with Tests in Bloemfontein (Free State Stadium, June 16) and Cape Town (Newlands, June 23) to follow.
