Breaking news as Erasmus just welcome 56 players to three-day camp

A 56-man Springbok squad has been announced by Rassie Erasmus for an alignment camp in Cape Town. The three-day camp will only include domestic players in an effort to improve team unity and cohesion, according to the coaching staff.

According to a statement, “Rasie Erasmus and his management team will host the first in-person coaches’ strategic session of the year, followed by a three-day alignment camp with a group of 56 domestic players in Cape Town next month, to get the Springboks moving for the 2025 season.”

After this session, Erasmus and his support team will also do virtual alignment camps with the players who are stationed abroad, a group of gifted young people, and injured players who are playing domestically but were not invited to this camp.

“On March 7, the coaches will get together in the Mother City for a three-day planning block in preparation for the upcoming difficult season. To get the players up to speed on the criteria and expected standards for the season, the alignment camp, which ends on March 12, will include two gym sessions and a number of boardroom talks.

In addition to 22 capped national players, the group consists of 18 members of the 2023 Rugby World Cup-winning team, 10 of whom were also crowned champions at the 2019 RWC and five of whom took part in the 2015 international extravaganza.

“A few players that participated in prior alignment camps or the national setup, as well as the South African A team, will have the opportunity to work with the coaching staff once more. Asenathi Ntlabakanye, Henco van Wyk, Suleiman Hartzenberg, and Celimpilo Gumede are among this group, and players like Reinhardt Ludwig, JF van Heerden, and Jurenzo Julius will experience Springbok rugby for the first time.

As the Springboks prepare for the international season, which will see the world champions and Castle Lager Rugby Championship champions play Italy in back-to-back Test matches on July 5 and 12 before facing Georgia in the Castle Lager Incoming Series on July 19, this will be the first of three alignment camps.

They will play Australia in South Africa on August 16 and 23 to begin their Castle Lager Rugby Championship title defence. Then, they will travel to New Zealand to play their bitter rivals, the All Blacks, in Auckland and Wellington on September 6 and 13.

The team’s campaign will conclude on October 4 with the final game of the 2025 edition of the southern hemisphere showcase against Argentina at the Allianz Stadium, Twickenham in London. On September 27, the team will travel back to South Africa for a match against Argentina. In due time, the locations for the domestic Test matches will be revealed.

“In the past few years, our alignment camps have been extremely beneficial as they provide us with the chance to showcase our season-specific structures and the Springbok culture and methods,” Erasmus continued. In order to set a solid basis for us to build upon over the upcoming difficult campaign, the main goal of this camp will be to get everyone on the same page for the 2025 season.

While some of these players have been exposed to our structures previously, so they have a solid understanding of how we operate, the majority of these players have been a part of our structures at some point over the past seven years, and their knowledge and familiarity with how we do things at the Springboks will be invaluable in guiding the younger players.

“We are thrilled to see the new players in the mix, who have established themselves at the franchise level, get this chance to experience what is expected of them at the highest level.”

Alignment camp for the Springboks
Forwards (33): Bulls (12): Johan Grobbelaar, Celimpilo Gumede, Cameron Hanekom, Wilco Louw, Reinhardt Ludwig, Ruan Nortje, Gerhard Steenekamp, Akker van der Merwe, JF van Heerden, Marco van Staden, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Cobus Wiese; Sharks (9): Ethan Bester, Phepsi Buthelezi, Eben Etzebeth, Vincent Koch, Siya Kolisi, Bongi Mbonambi, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Ox Nche, and Trevor Nyakane; Stormers (8): Ben-Jason Dixon, Joseph Dweba, Neethling Fouche, Deon Fourie, Frans Malherbe, Salmaan Moerat, Evan Roos, and Andre-Hugo Venter; Lions (4): Renzo du Plessis, Francke Horn, Asenathi Ntlabakanye, Ruan Venter.

Backs (23): Stormers (5): Paul de Wet, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Suleiman Hartzenberg, Manie Libbok, Damian Willemse; Sharks (9): Lukhanyo Am, Andre Esterhuizen, Aphelele Fassi, Jaden Hendrikse, Jordan Hendrikse, Ethan Hooker, Jurenzo Julius, Makazole Mapimpi, Grant Williams; Stormers (5): Andrew
Lions (4): Quan Horn, Morne van den Berg, Edwill van der Merwe, and Henco van Wyk; Bulls (5): Sebastian de Klerk, David Kriel, Willie le Roux, Canan Moodie, and Embrose Papier.