Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus cast his net wide, as he named a 49-man squad featuring 11 uncapped players – five of whom are still in the Junior Bok ranks – for the team’s first in-person alignment camp of the year in Cape Town on Wednesday.
The camp will run from Tuesday 3 to Friday 6 March, as the Bok coaches zoom in on the 2026 season.
The group includes 14 Rugby World Cup winners, with Frans Malherbe – who has been out of action since the 2023 RWC Final due to back and neck injuries – making a notable return to the squad, while five U20 players also feature in the group.
They are 2025 Junior World Championship-winning captain Riley Norton (utility forward), and his SA U20 team-mates from last year, Cheswill Jooste (utility back) and Siphosethu Mnebelele (hooker), while two players from the 2025 SA U18 squad who are currently on tour with the Junior Boks in Georgia, Kai Pratt (prop) and Markus Muller (centre), also feature in the group.
Jooste, Haashim Pead (scrumhalf), and Bathobele Hlekani (utility forward) – who will all attend their first Springbok alignment camp – trained with the Boks for a week in Johannesburg last season.
The other players who secured their first invite to a Springbok alignment camp are Emmanuel Tshituka (utility forward), Jaco Williams (wing), Paul de Villiers (flanker), and Zachary Porthen (prop), who made his Test debut against Japan late last year.
The camp will include a series of boardroom and gymnasium sessions where the national coaches will brief their players on their plans and expected standards for the season as the team prepares to build toward the 2027 Rugby World Cup, while it will also offer some of the younger players valuable insight into the senior national set-up.
The in-person camp will be followed by a virtual alignment camp with 21 overseas-based players.
Erasmus was pleased with the make-up of the squad and said: “This is an exciting group of players who have all made a strong statement for their respective provincial unions, and we are delighted to have some of the finest young talent in the country attending the camp to expose them to our environment and structures.
“Bathobele, Haashim, and Cheswill trained with us for a few days last year, and we saw how valuable that experience was for them, so hopefully, all the young players and those attending their first alignment camp will also gain a greater understanding of how the team operates.”
Looking at the forthcoming season, Erasmus said the team’s planning was at an advanced stage and that they looked forward to working with the players with the international season kicking off on Saturday, 20 June against the Barbarians in Gqeberha.
“The coaches and management staff have been working around the clock to ensure that we are as prepared as possible for what will be a challenging season, and all the operational and logistical aspects are in place for everything to run as smoothly as possible, so we are excited for the season ahead,” said the Bok coach.
“The next step is to start working with the players and getting them into the swing of things, so we are delighted about this opportunity to get everyone aligned.”
The Springboks will host a second alignment camp in May.
The Barbarians fixture will be followed by three local matches in the Nations Championship, against England in Johannesburg (4 July), Scotland in Pretoria (11 July), and Wales in Durban (18 July).
They will then meet Argentina in Buenos Aires (8 August), and the All Blacks in four Tests in the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series in August and September.
This will be followed by an away Test against the Wallabies in Australia (27 September), before the second leg of the Nations Championship kicks off in Europe, with matches against Italy (7 November), France (13 November), and Ireland (21 November), before the Finals Weekend in London (27 to 29 November).
Players invited to the first Springbok alignment camp:
Forwards: Eben Etzebeth, Siya Kolisi, Ox Nche, Kai Pratt, Emmanuel Tshituka, Vincent Tshituka (all Hollywoodbets Sharks), Johan Grobbelaar, Cameron Hanekom, Elrigh Louw, Wilco Louw, Siphosethu Mnebebele, Ruan Nortje, Gerhard Steenekamp, Marco van Staden, Cobus Wiese, Jan-Hendrik Wessels (all Vodacom Bulls), Paul de Villiers, Ben-Jason Dixon, Neethling Fouche, Frans Malherbe, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Salmaan Moerat, Riley Norton, Zachary Porthen, Evan Roos (all DHL Stormers), Bathobele Hlekani, Asenathi Ntlabakanye, Ruan Venter (all Lions).
Backs: Andre Esterhuizen, Aphelele Fassi, Jaden Hendrikse, Jordan Hendrikse, Ethan Hooker, Makazole Mapimpi, Edwill van der Merwe, Grant Williams, Jaco Williams (all Hollywoodbets Sharks), Kurt-Lee Arendse, Sebastian de Klerk, Cheswill Jooste, Canan Moodie, Handre Pollard (all Vodacom Bulls), Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Markus Muller, Cobus Reinach, Damian Willemse (all DHL Stormers), Quan Horn, Haashim Pead, Morne van den Berg (all Lions).
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