Bok No 10 jersey: Jean de Villiers backs Willemse ahead of Goosen for Euro tour

Former Springbok captain Jean de Villiers says he would prefer Damian Willemse to play flyhalf ahead of Johan Goosen during the Springboks' year-end tour to Europe.

Bulls pivot Goosen was the only No 10 listed in a 26-man Bok squad named on Tuesday for a training camp in Stellenbosch.

Willemse made the squad as a "utility back", but with Handre Pollard injured and Elton Jantjies not available, the Stormers star is expected to play a prominent flyhalf role on the tour.

De Villiers believes Willemse should be backed at No 10 ahead of Goosen, as the latter only recently returned from a long injury layoff.

"I don't think Goosen has shown enough. Certainly, his form before his injury was fantastic, but I don't think he has shown the same form coming back yet," De Villiers said during a URC round-table media engagement on Tuesday. "The current form of the Bulls also hasn't helped."

De Villiers said Willie le Roux should start at fullback - which would allow him and Willemse to link nicely between the two positions.

"If you had to go into a game tomorrow, I would go with Damian Willemse at 10, and Willie le Roux at 15. I just like the balance that that brings to the team. Yes, the one has 10 on his back and the other 15, but they can interlink and change over in that position, which I think really helps.

"Also you have that left-right combination in terms of kicking if you want to kick off 10. And defensively Damian is really strong in that channel... and from an attacking point of view, depending on where you are on the field, they can interchange."

Springbok coach Jacques Nienaber told reporters on Tuesday that it was unlikely that Pollard, his first-choice flyhalf, would be ready for the tour.

The 28-year-old playmaker limped off on