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Comment: Rob Houwing, Sport24 chief writer
Cape Town - Even if the dice currently looks a little loaded against him for a starting berth in both capacities, Gio Aplon is one of those "fringe" Springbok players with extremely credible credentials for fullback or wing duty at the World Cup.
So the Stormers utility man may well suspect deep down that he needs to be closer to "special" than merely solid when he runs out at No 15 - a potentially enthralling event - for the overwhelmingly experimental Bok combo against the Wallabies in the opening game of the Tri-Nations in Sydney on Saturday.
He will have to be game-influencing, not just competent at the proverbial basics of the role, if he is to also break into the starting XV for keynote games at RWC 2011.
For the whisper, as things stand, is that the Boks, debatably swayed by fairly recent history, will be taking both a conservative game-plan and tried-and-trusted selection formula into the World Cup.
So their wise men will be influenced for the left wing spot at the New Zealand jamboree, for instance, by memories of Bryan Habana's stellar showing at the 2007 predecessor, when the then-Bulls customer ran in a record-equalling eight tries, including four against the reasonably unsung side presently on everybody's lips, Samoa.
And when it comes to fullback, perhaps a heavy "tilter" toward hefty-framed Francois Steyn for first-choice RWC status will be the recollection of his role in the last Springbok triumph against hot favourites the All Blacks in their own habitat, at the end of the victorious 2009 Tri-Nations campaign.
Then, in a 32-29 win at Hamilton, the independent-minded Steyn - always very comforting back-up to metronomic namesake Morné in the place-kicking department, it must be said - nailed three monster penalties from his own half, apparently making him the first player to achieve this feat in a Test.
These are the kind of stats from the annals that probably count against Aplon breaking into the genuine "A-team" on a consistent basis later this year ahead of either Habana or Steyn (if it is assumed that the presently highly impressive JP Pietersen will be the intended pick at right wing).
On Saturday, though, for these much-debated Bok "babes", Aplon has an opportunity to remind both Peter de Villiers and his lieutenants and the broader world that he could be a worthy starting presence for his country come the biggest tournament on the calendar this year.
Indeed, there will be plenty of people scratching their heads in disbelief if Habana is stubbornly shooed into the No 11 jersey for the real-deal Boks after a notably jittery Super Rugby season for the Stormers.
Habana was once the most critical element of Springbok X-factor in a modern team not exactly over-burdened with such characters as the Boks steadfastly favour muscle, brawn and specific defensive prowess across the park - making them ever-competitive but also dangerously predictable at times.
I would suggest that in 2011, men like Aplon and Patrick Lambie - the baby-faced Sharks player is on the bench on Saturday - offer better prospects in terms of pizzazz and unpredictability, even if Habana, 28 last month, may not be anything like the spent force his detractors would wish to think he is.
Another superior string to Aplon's bow over franchise colleague Habana is his increasingly assured left boot both as a pressure reliever and as an attacking device: putting ball to boot has never been the latter’s favourite chore.
The Hawston product's jinking and bobbing on the counter-attack and from broken play makes him one of South Africa's most crowd-pleasing rugby players at present, and a soothing reminder that all is not necessarily robotic and formulaic in our game.
It has also become ridiculous, frankly, for some observers to brand him too frail in contact. Neither his courage nor tackling style have been seriously open to damning scrutiny for a long time.
Much bigger men in South Africa, it seems, can glaringly miss tackles and not be called to account for them: if somebody like Aplon lets a man slip through the gate then a reflex theory takes root that he does not have the physique to cope at the highest level.
It was Lambie this week, in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, who struck a defiant note for the little guys when he made the point that "everyone's ankles are similar sizes".
There is every reason to believe that the tenacious, unassuming Aplon would subscribe to that view.
Whatever happens against the Wallabies on Saturday, I would probably want to make room for Aplon in my Bok World Cup XV, even admitting that we are some time out from the tournament yet.
But as stated earlier, methinks he also needs to be well above the ordinary on the Tri-Nations away leg, if he is to cause the planned RWC starting team template to be redrafted ...
Cape Town - Even if the dice currently looks a little loaded against him for a starting berth in both capacities, Gio Aplon is one of those "fringe" Springbok players with extremely credible credentials for fullback or wing duty at the World Cup.
So the Stormers utility man may well suspect deep down that he needs to be closer to "special" than merely solid when he runs out at No 15 - a potentially enthralling event - for the overwhelmingly experimental Bok combo against the Wallabies in the opening game of the Tri-Nations in Sydney on Saturday.
He will have to be game-influencing, not just competent at the proverbial basics of the role, if he is to also break into the starting XV for keynote games at RWC 2011.
For the whisper, as things stand, is that the Boks, debatably swayed by fairly recent history, will be taking both a conservative game-plan and tried-and-trusted selection formula into the World Cup.
So their wise men will be influenced for the left wing spot at the New Zealand jamboree, for instance, by memories of Bryan Habana's stellar showing at the 2007 predecessor, when the then-Bulls customer ran in a record-equalling eight tries, including four against the reasonably unsung side presently on everybody's lips, Samoa.
And when it comes to fullback, perhaps a heavy "tilter" toward hefty-framed Francois Steyn for first-choice RWC status will be the recollection of his role in the last Springbok triumph against hot favourites the All Blacks in their own habitat, at the end of the victorious 2009 Tri-Nations campaign.
Then, in a 32-29 win at Hamilton, the independent-minded Steyn - always very comforting back-up to metronomic namesake Morné in the place-kicking department, it must be said - nailed three monster penalties from his own half, apparently making him the first player to achieve this feat in a Test.
These are the kind of stats from the annals that probably count against Aplon breaking into the genuine "A-team" on a consistent basis later this year ahead of either Habana or Steyn (if it is assumed that the presently highly impressive JP Pietersen will be the intended pick at right wing).
On Saturday, though, for these much-debated Bok "babes", Aplon has an opportunity to remind both Peter de Villiers and his lieutenants and the broader world that he could be a worthy starting presence for his country come the biggest tournament on the calendar this year.
Indeed, there will be plenty of people scratching their heads in disbelief if Habana is stubbornly shooed into the No 11 jersey for the real-deal Boks after a notably jittery Super Rugby season for the Stormers.
Habana was once the most critical element of Springbok X-factor in a modern team not exactly over-burdened with such characters as the Boks steadfastly favour muscle, brawn and specific defensive prowess across the park - making them ever-competitive but also dangerously predictable at times.
I would suggest that in 2011, men like Aplon and Patrick Lambie - the baby-faced Sharks player is on the bench on Saturday - offer better prospects in terms of pizzazz and unpredictability, even if Habana, 28 last month, may not be anything like the spent force his detractors would wish to think he is.
Another superior string to Aplon's bow over franchise colleague Habana is his increasingly assured left boot both as a pressure reliever and as an attacking device: putting ball to boot has never been the latter’s favourite chore.
The Hawston product's jinking and bobbing on the counter-attack and from broken play makes him one of South Africa's most crowd-pleasing rugby players at present, and a soothing reminder that all is not necessarily robotic and formulaic in our game.
It has also become ridiculous, frankly, for some observers to brand him too frail in contact. Neither his courage nor tackling style have been seriously open to damning scrutiny for a long time.
Much bigger men in South Africa, it seems, can glaringly miss tackles and not be called to account for them: if somebody like Aplon lets a man slip through the gate then a reflex theory takes root that he does not have the physique to cope at the highest level.
It was Lambie this week, in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald, who struck a defiant note for the little guys when he made the point that "everyone's ankles are similar sizes".
There is every reason to believe that the tenacious, unassuming Aplon would subscribe to that view.
Whatever happens against the Wallabies on Saturday, I would probably want to make room for Aplon in my Bok World Cup XV, even admitting that we are some time out from the tournament yet.
But as stated earlier, methinks he also needs to be well above the ordinary on the Tri-Nations away leg, if he is to cause the planned RWC starting team template to be redrafted ...
