Kermit is green to go

No player made as much noise about being left out of the Bafana Bafana squad as Kermit Erasmus when coach Ephraim "Shakes" Mashaba picked his first group shortly after being appointed.

And now that Erasmus has finally cracked the nod, the Orlando Pirates striker said yesterday the hunger to win in the side is contagious.

Erasmus came off the bench in South Africa's 2-0 Africa Cup of Nations qualifier win against Congo in Pointe Noire at the weekend and is itching to get his first start under Mashaba in the return leg at Peter Mokaba Stadium in Polokwane tomorrow night.

South Africa are top of Group A after amassing seven points from three matches.

With the Confederation of African Football using the head-to-head rule, a Bafana victory against Claude le Roy's men would seal qualification for Morocco next year with two matches to spare, a likely scenario, said Erasmus.

"It is really important to kill things off as soon as possible, not only for the players, but also for the country. We haven't qualified for a lot of the games in previous competitions or we've been there automatically [as hosts]. It's important that the country has more belief in us because a lot of things have been said about the national team," said Erasmus, who could start ahead of Tokelo Rantie.

"We can make changes, but maybe we should also take the next game as starting from scratch and go and get the result, grind and work for one another, which this team does well.

"I sat watching the first two games [against Sudan and Nigeria] from home and it was exciting to see the way the guys play, which made me want to be part of the team. You can see we are working towards a change for the nation."

And the country has sat up and taken notice. There is a buzz of excitement about this Bafana team.

"Halala Bafana Bafana. The boys are back in style. #WeAre-VeryProud," tweeted Trevor Noah on Saturday evening.

Rugby expert John Robbie is also feeling it. "Congratulations to Bafana for a fantastic win over the weekend!" he tweeted.

Should Mashaba pick Erasmus to start, the coach will be working his way towards rekindling an attacking partnership between the striker and Thulani Serero, his under-20 teammate at the Fifa Youth World Cup in Egypt five years ago, when they were both 19.

Serero now plays for Ajax Amsterdam and is used to playing the same opposition back-to-back in European Champions League clashes.

"You never know what to expect because now they know us better after the first game, which makes it difficult," said Serero of Congo.

"The coach has made it clear to us that nothing is finished yet. The games are only done after you finish the last game of the group."