The Toyota Cheetahs flank, Oupa Mohoje, is said to be one of the contenders to take over the Springbok captaincy when Adriaan Strauss retires from international rugby.
Mohoje led the South African A team against the England Saxons in two unofficial test matches earlier this year.
Strauss last month indicated that he will be calling it quits following the end of year tour to Europe.
Mohoje has also been one of the Springbok’s more consistent players during the Rugby Championship.
When asked about the possible leadership role, Mohoje said for now his focus is just on playing as much rugby as possible.
“Right now, the main focus is to play rugby, to play as much rugby as I can,” he said.
“Being here is an opportunity for us to prove ourselves and the team. That will come at its own time, the coach will select you there if he wants you there and backs you.
“We will just have to go with it, but for now the focus is just on the rugby.”
The Springboks returned to their winning ways over the weekend when they beat the Wallabies 18-10 at Loftus Versfeld.
This is the team’s first victory in four Tests following defeats to the Pumas, Wallabies and All Blacks.
As has been the case, during the competition, Mohoje delivered another solid performance with big tackles and good ball-carries.
Ahead of the match against the team from Down Under, Mohoje said they had been putting a lot of focus on their defence.
“What we could take from the game is that we need to sharpen up on our defence and that’s what we’ve been doing this week.
We need to carry a bit more ball and run more direct as a pack. That’s basically what we took from the game and we need to apply it this weekend.”
The Springboks are in Durban this week for their final match in their competition when they face the world champions, the All Blacks. The men in green and gold will be looking to secure the runners-up spot behind the All Blacks.
Saturday’s Test at King’s Park in Durban kicks off at 17:00. – MORGAN PIEK
