Embrose Papier will win his eighth cap when he starts at scrumhalf for the Springboks against Scotland on Saturday in their Nations Championship match, ending an eight-year gap since his seventh and most recent appearance in the green and gold.
Papier made his Springbok debut in 2018 and accumulated seven caps largely during Erasmus's first season in charge, before being locked out by the extraordinary depth South Africa developed at the position through two World Cup cycles. De Klerk, Reinach and Hendrikse all held the jersey ahead of him, and Erasmus was candid about the reasons for the long wait.
"Sometimes it's not because the player is not playing well enough or is not Springbok class; it's just because there are other guys that are playing really well," Erasmus said at Monday's team announcement. "I think none of us can look past the fact that he played well this year, and then obviously there are some injured players and some guys who lost form, and he gathered form."
Papier's form for the Bulls this past season — nine tries and consistent threat with his pace off the mark — forced Erasmus's hand. His pairing with Bulls teammate Handré Pollard at flyhalf is a combination Erasmus believes will ease Papier's return. "He gets the opportunity at home with Handre, where he's played a lot of rugby, so hopefully that helps him," Erasmus added.
At Monday's announcement, Papier sat alongside Erasmus and answered questions carefully, and when the session ended Erasmus told him in Afrikaans, "You did well" — a quiet acknowledgement of the nerves accompanying the occasion.
Papier kept his own words measured. "It's great working with the coaches. I've missed a lot of guys, and a lot of familiar faces, so it's just great to be in the environment."