Rowen came on as a second half substitute for Vonk in Saturday’s Nelson Mandela inauguration challenge game against Senegal in Port Elizabeth. Bafana Bafana were beaten 3-2 by the Terranga Lions and Fernandez found himself all alone as the defence were left all at sea when Senegal struck the winning goal.

Fernandez had been Vonk’s deputy in the national team set up for much of the past eighteen months and says he is ready to fill the void left by Vonk “ Obviously stepping into Hans’ shoes won’t be easy but I do feel confident enough to step up to the plate” said Fernandez.

The final week working with a goalkeeper Rowen regards as his mentor was emotional and after the final whistle on Saturday an emotional Fernandez said “ Hans has taught me a lot over the past few years and I am thankful for that, this week has been an emotional one for both of us knowing that this was the last we would be team mates at a national team game”.

With most of the scribes penning their favourites to claim the top spot from Vonk, Fernandez is of the opinion that his toughest competition for the number one spot will be in the form of his Amakhosi teammate Emile Baron.

Rowen shared his thoughts when he added “ I feel my strongest competition for the number one Bafana spot will come from none other than Emile Baron.

He has experience from playing in Europe and he has also played in many international competitions and that will put him in good stead to be one of Hans’ successors”.

Emile Baron was also quick to pass on the compliment to his Chiefs teammate saying, “Rowen’s ability as a goalkeeper cannot be questioned, he also has the mental strength to be a long term national team goalkeeper”.

On his own chances for donning the Bafana Bafana jersey after a two year absence Baron was quietly cautious adding “I am thankful to be playing in South Africa again because my performances can be monitored on a weekly basis, I need to be consistent and carry on playing the way I have been - then I feel it will just be a two horse race between Rowen and myself”.

With the halfway mark to the 2010 World Cup just past - Baron and Rowen will be looking to shine in the Amakhosi’s next few matches.

The long road to the 2010 World Cup could be made easier with a selection to represent Bafana Bafana at the 2006 African Cup of Nations to be played in Egypt early next year.