Time for Hougie to put it in for the big boys

If ever Francois Hougaard needed motivation to recapture the Springbok No9 jersey, the unfortunate season-ending injury to scrumhalf rival Fourie du Preez should be it.

Du Preez, a 70-Test veteran, would have been the unopposed scrumhalf in the coming Rugby Championship but the situation is muddied after he was ruled out for three months with an ankle injury.

Du Preez's boot stuck in the ground as he was tackled from the side, which caused an "anterior syndesmotic injury".

According to team doctor Craig Roberts, Du Preez will soon undergo a procedure to determine the stability of the ankle.

Coach Heyneke Meyer gave Hougaard, 26, a chance in the squad only last week against Scotland after omitting him for the more difficult assignments against Wales, preferring Ruan Pienaar on the bench.

Pienaar has played the bulk of his 76 Tests at scrumhalf, but somehow has failed to completely dominate a match in the same way that Du Preez does.

He again did not convince against Wales coming off the bench.

Hougaard, who started slowly against Scotland when Du Preez departed injured in the 23rd minute, took time to find his rhythm, having not played for almost a month.

The Springboks struggled in the second quarter of the game after scoring three tries in 17 minutes, and Meyer, perhaps deliberately or perhaps inadvertently, blamed Hougaard for the stuttering performance.

"When Fourie went off we lost some rhythm," Meyer said after the 55-6 win over Scotland.

But after the break Hougaard was slicker and more accurate. He appeared to have found the tempo of the game and his sharp service aided five more tries.

While Pienaar, who plays for Irish club Ulster, will now kick his heels for a month, with no matches in the northern hemisphere, Hougaard has two more weeks of Super 15 to convince Meyer he is the man to start against Argentina on August 16.

Hougaard and flyhalf Handré Pollard are team-mates at the Bulls. And after a polished Test debut against the Scots, Pollard is likely to retain the Bok No10 jersey. Having him and Hougaard playing together for the next few weeks and honing their combination is good for the Boks.

Hougaard's Super 15 performances have veered between good and excellent for the most part this season, and his service is more efficient than Pienaar's.

There are several reasons for Hougaard's gradual return to being the player that blazed onto the scene four years ago. He is fully fit for the first time in more than a year, he has stuck to one position this season and he seems to have overcome the loss of close friend Reeva Steenkamp.

Now that Du Preez is out of the picture, Hougaard has a genuine chance to establish himself as the Bok first-choice scrumhalf.