Cheslin Kolbe is a contender to start at fullback when the Springboks face Ireland and France on their end-of-year tour to Europe.

Kolbe, who has played all of his 20 Tests at wing, last featured for the Boks in July before being ruled out of the Rugby Championship after breaking his jaw in the series decider against Wales.

Damian Willemse, Willie le Roux and Warrick Gelant have featured at No 15 for South Africa in 2022, but Rassie Erasmus is tempted to give fellow World Cup-hero Kolbe a shot with wings Makazole Mapimpi and Kurt-Lee Arendse against the world’s top-ranked teams.

“Cheslin [at fullback], that’s also exciting. To filter that squad down to 33 – that [2023] World Cup squad – is difficult, but we play the No 1 and No 2 in the world now,” SA’s director of rugby said ahead a four-match tour to the northern hemisphere.

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“So, I know you shouldn’t take chances in games like that, but you have to. These are the actual games where you might try something like that.

“If a Kurt-Lee is fully on form and a Mapimpi is fully on form, and Damian is playing 10, then why not play Cheslin at 15?

“I’m not saying that’s going to happen, Kurt-Lee can also play at 15 for us, and there’s a few guys in the SA A pool but, yes, he is a realistic option to play 15.”

The Boks will open their tour against Ireland at the Aviva Stadium in Dublin on Saturday, followed by Tests against France in Marseille at Stade Velodrome a week later.

Italy await in Genoa on 19 November, while the tour will conclude against England at Twickenham in London on 26 November.

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