Boshoff not on the 'scrap heap'
Lions coach Johan Ackermann is adamant that Springbok flyhalf Marnitz Boshoff has not been cast on the scrap heap.
Boshoff, at the back of a poor season by his standards, has been playing second fiddle to fellow Bok Elton Jantjies and in recent weeks even failed to make the Super Rugby team's matchday 23.
Last week he featured in the Golden Lions' Vodacom Cup squad, but this is not playing at all – as he has not played the required number of league matches to be allowed to compete in the Vodacom Cup play-offs.
Ackermann, speaking to rugby365 ahead of his team's encounter with the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein on Saturday, said they decided to give young Jaco van der Walt another go this week.
"He [Boshoff] is likely to get his chance somewhere down the line," the coach said.
"We are happy with what Jaco produced in his spell on the field [in the loss to the Brumbies last week].
"We are still busy with a process with him [Van der Walt] as well.
"We will use him [Boshoff] at a later stage."
Ackermann made it very clear that the two-times capped Bok is certainly not out of the picture.
"He has won games for us in the past and we will certainly need him down the line," he told rugby365.
"It is tough when you have three good players and have just two spots in the [matchday] squad.
"We can't play everybody all the time and those are the decisions you have to make [as a coach].
"You have to live with those choices. Yes, you will [sometimes] wonder if you made the right selection.
"However, you get a gut feel and you stand by that."
By Jan de Koning
@King365ed
@rugby365com
