Springbok captain Andre Vos has stressed that the selection of Rassie Erasmus as Cats captain was a non-issue and added it was up to him to keep his form up to international standard.

The No 8 was approached for comment after it was reported by a Cape newspaper that the selection of Erasmus as captain and the availability of a fit again Bob Skinstad was an indication that he would be under pressure to retain the Bok leadership.

Vos, however, said his form would ultimately decide his destiny. He added that Erasmus' appointment as Cats leader was not a point of contention to him. "It's not a hassle with me at all. Over the years we've worked well together and whether I've been the captain or he's been the captain has not been an issue at all."

Cats coach Laurie Mains, when announcing his decision, said he wanted to take some pressure off Vos, who already has the heavy load of the captaincy of South Africa and the Lions on his plate. Vos welcomes the chance to concentrate on his own game. "It will be nice for me to focus on my own game in the Super 12.

"My Super 12 form is obviously very important to me and I'm looking forward to the competition. And as I said before, it doesn't matter to Rassie or myself who is the captain, we've got a good understanding of each other and work well together."

As for the threat from a glut of loose forwards vying for the four positions in the national squad, Vos commented that it was up to him whether he is in the line-up when the Boks get together again. "You have to keep your form up if you want to play for your country and if you don't, you cannot expect to play for South Africa. I definitely want to play for the Springboks and the only way I can do that is to make sure I perform well in the Super 12," he said.

Vos said he feels rejuvenated after a well-deserved summer break following the arduous end-of-year tour. "You always prefer to have a little bit more time away from the game, but the season has already been set out and I think everybody had a good rest. I certainly managed to iron out all the aches and pains and I feel fine. I am strong and fit and I'm looking forward to the Super 12."

He said he was happy with the four squads representing South Africa and felt they have a good chance of improving on the performances of the previous years. "I think the most important thing is that last year's squads have stayed very much the same this time around.

"I've always said the teams that are doing well are the teams that stay the same and here you can take the Brumbies as an example. They had the same squad for the last two, three years and continuity is so important in this competition. I am pleased to see that our squads are more or less the same and I think that's really going to help us produce better results this year."