Erasmus Names 40-Man Springbok Squad For Second Alignment Camp
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus on Wednesday named a “purpose and goal-driven” 40-man squad for the team’s second in-person alignment camp in Cape Town next week, featuring two players invited to their first camp: Sibabalwe Mahashe and Zekhethelo Siyaya.
Embrose Papier, Francke Horn, Andre-Hugo Venter, and Henco van Wyk, who have all attended alignment camps previously, have also been included in the group.
With several experienced national players sidelined through injury, Erasmus said the purpose of the camp was to expose these players to the team’s structures and systems, with an eye on the next two seasons and beyond.
A second virtual alignment camp will be hosted following the conclusion of this session.
The camp squad — comprising 25 forwards and 15 backline players — will assemble from Tuesday, 19 May to Thursday, 21 May. It includes 10 uncapped players: Paul de Villiers, Bathobele Hlekani, Francke Horn, Sibabalwe Mahashe, Riley Norton, Haashim Pead, Zekhethelo Siyaya, Emmanuel Tshituka, Henco van Wyk, and Jaco Williams. Six of them were also invited to the first alignment camp in March.
“This is an exciting group of players, and it’s been pleasing to see them make their presence felt in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship, as well as during their teams’ Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup campaigns this season,” said Erasmus.
“This camp will provide a valuable opportunity to expose those invited to our setup and the standards expected by the national coaches.
“We’re looking forward to involving Sibabalwe, Zekhethelo, Andre, Embrose, Francke, and Henco in this camp as we continue to build squad depth.”
Erasmus added: “There are several players who are not currently fit to play, and we look forward to seeing them back in action in the near future, knowing they have a good understanding of how the team operates and what will be expected of them upon their return.”
Providing further context to the camp, Erasmus said: “It’s important to be clear about the objective of this alignment camp, which is to expose these players to our environment, our standards, and the way we operate.
“The players who will not be present, whether due to injury or workload management, remain firmly in our plans, and each of them is on an individual path with their own timelines.
“This week will give us the opportunity to align those who are fit and ready now with the way we want to operate, so that when an opportunity arises — either this year or further down the line — they are prepared to step up and perform at international level.”
The international season will begin with a double-header in Gqeberha on Saturday, 20 June, when the Springboks face the Barbarians and the SA ‘A’ side takes on Zimbabwe national rugby union team. This will be followed by three home matches in the Nations Championship: against England national rugby union team in Johannesburg (4 July), Scotland national rugby union team in Pretoria (11 July), and Wales national rugby union team in Durban (18 July).
The Springboks will then face Argentina national rugby union team in Buenos Aires (8 August) and the New Zealand national rugby union team in four Tests during the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series in August and September.
An away Test against the Australia national rugby union team in Australia (27 September) follows, before the second leg of the Nations Championship kicks off in Europe with matches against Italy national rugby union team (7 November), France national rugby union team (13 November), and Ireland national rugby union team (21 November), ahead of the Finals Weekend in London from 27 to 29 November.
Players invited to the second in-person Springbok alignment camp
Forwards:
Paul de Villiers, Ben-Jason Dixon, Neethling Fouche, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Salmaan Moerat, Riley Norton, Zachary Porthen, Evan Roos, Andre-Hugo Venter (all DHL Stormers); Bathobele Hlekani, Francke Horn, Sibabalwe Mahashe, Asenathi Ntlabakanye (all Fidelity Securedrive Lions); Johan Grobbelaar, Cameron Hanekom, Elrigh Louw, Wilco Louw, Ruan Nortje, Gerhard Steenekamp, Marco van Staden, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Cobus Wiese (all Vodacom Bulls); Siya Kolisi, Ox Nche, Emmanuel Tshituka (all Hollywoodbets Sharks).
Backs:
Kurt-Lee Arendse, Canan Moodie, Embrose Papier, Handre Pollard (all Vodacom Bulls); Andre Esterhuizen, Zekhethelo Siyaya, Edwill van der Merwe, Grant Williams, Jaco Williams (all Hollywoodbets Sharks); Quan Horn, Haashim Pead, Henco van Wyk, Morne van den Berg (all Fidelity Securedrive Lions); Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Damian Willemse (both DHL Stormers).
