Dashing Duane, muted Mostert: The early winners and losers in the Springbok World Cup race

Some will argue, with relative justification, that it's premature, but with the Springboks having a limited number of days and matches to finalise their World Cup squad - slated for 8 August - performances in the opening two weeks of the Rugby Championship will be a vital yardstick for some players' claim for a spot on the plane to France.

Already, there have been players who emphatically erased any doubts about their places and, while it's unlikely their chances are already in the terminal ward of the hospital, a few are under pressure to pull up their socks.

News24 Sport takes a look at a few winners and losers in terms of World Cup selection from the past fortnight of action. 

WINNERS

Duane Vermeulen

In the build-up to the match against the Wallabies, coach Jacques Nienaber had no qualms stating that he believed the evergreen 37-year-old could fulfil the twin roles of starter and impact player.

To some, that sounded a bit fanciful, given that he was more solid than spectacular for Ulster and Jasper Wiese had cemented his status as the top dog in the position in 2022.

Yet within the space of a fortnight, there's a legitimate view that Vermeulen is still the Boks' bolter at eighthman for the World Cup.

Everything that's made him such a fantastic international player has been on show: power, work rate and leadership.

Wiese has work to do.

Kurt-Lee Arendse

Everything the former Blitzboks star touches in the fifteen-man format turns to gold.

Except for the very obvious fact that he's an outstanding finisher, Arendse has benefited from flourishing in a Bulls system that at times mirrors the Boks' more methodical approach at Test level: making him used to the demands of capitalising on limited opportunities, maintaining a high