SA 'A' squad told to 'knock down the Bok door' against Munster

With the South African 'A' squad taking on Munster on Thursday evening, there's a chance for the players to put up their hands and impress the national selectors in terms of breaking into the Springbok squad with the Rugby World Cup just a year away. 

And that's exactly what SA 'A' assistant coach Bafana Nhleko and captain Thomas du Toit expressed on the eve of the match, which will be played in Cork with kick-off at 21:30 (SA time).

Du Toit, however, warned that the dirt trackers wouldn't have an easy task against one of the top teams in Europe.

"Some of us have been there before, and it's everyone's dream to be in the Bok squad, but we will have to find a balance between showcasing our talents and playing as a team. If we can win the match, everyone will look better, and we fully understand it.

"Munster won't roll over, they have a great team, and we're expecting a wonderful game. We're not going to be naïve, we know what this means to them, and I'm sure Ireland's victory over the Boks will give them some advantage, but this is a new game between new teams and all of us as very excited about this opportunity."

15 Aphelele Fassi (Sharks), 14 Suleiman Hartzenberg (Stormers), 13 Henco van Wyk (Lions), 12 Cornal Hendricks (vice-captain, Bulls), 11 Leolin Zas (Stormers), 10 Johan Goosen (Bulls), 9 Herschel Jantjies (Stormers), 8 Jean-Luc du Preez (Sale Sharks), 7 Elrigh Louw (Bulls), 6 Phepsi Buthelezi (Sharks), 5 Ruan Nortje (Bulls), 4 Jason Jenkins (Leinster), 3 Thomas du Toit (captain, Sharks), 2 Joseph Dweba (Stormers), 1 Ntuthuko Mchunu (Sharks)

Substitutes: 16 Andre-Hugo Venter (Stormers), 17 Simphiwe Matanzima (Bulls), 18 Sazi Sandi (Stormers), 19 Dan du Preez (Sale Sharks), 20 Sikhumbuzo Notshe (Sharks), 21 Grant