Gio leaves Boks with big gap

The withdrawal of fullback Gio Aplon has caused a selection headache for Springbok coach Peter de Villiers just three days before meeting the All Blacks in a Tri-Nations match in Wellington.

De Villiers was keen on starting Pat Lambie at flyhalf in the place of Morné Steyn, but the coach may now be forced to use the 20-year-old Sharks flyhalf in the No15 jersey this weekend.

Steyn was on the verge of being jettisoned from the starting XV, but may have earned a reprieve because of the ongoing injury crisis.

Lambie has played fullback in the Super 15 this year while Steyn last donned the No15 jersey at provincial level three years ago. It would be riskier going with Steyn at fullback, but if this tour is about finding answers for the Rugby World Cup, then Lambie has to start at flyhalf.

The Boks are not going to out-duel the All Blacks with a game based on strike running, so having Steyn's big boot as the last line of defence might be a good defensive ploy in expected wet weather.

Wings Lwazi Mvovo and Bjorn Basson can provide solid support if Steyn is thrust into fullback.

The Boks haven't shown enough creativity to free their wings by moving the ball through the hands, so having Basson and Mvovo chasing Steyn's huge punts might not be the worst way to go.

Word from the Bok camp is that almost everyone is carrying some niggle after a long Super 15 season and yesterday those niggles developed into full-blown problems.

Aplon has succumbed to back and shoulder injuries picked up against Australia, which has robbed the Boks of their best attacking weapon against opponents boasting hugely talented runners.

De Villiers decided to spare the Stormers player more serious injury so close to the World Cup.

Bulls lock Flip van der Merwe will be on the same plane as Aplon today after rib cartilage damage ended his match against the Wallabies after only 34 minutes.

He joins the already departed Johann Muller as another second-row casualty. To further compound the lock problem, Alistair Hargreaves is struggling with an abdominal muscle strain.

Hargreaves will have to play some role against New Zealand on Saturday as Gerhard Mostert, who arrived from Paris on Monday, is the only fit lock in the group.

Hargreaves would have come off at half-time during South Africa's 39-20 defeat by the Wallabies had there been any lock cover on the bench. But with Van der Merwe already off the field, he soldiered on bravely and in considerable pain.

Flank Heinrich Brüssow also won't make his much-anticipated test comeback after failing to quickly respond to treatment for a hamstring strain.