Following the announcement of the first Springboks alignment camp squad, we pick out the winners and losers from Rassie Erasmus’ 49-man list.
It’s worth noting straight off the bat that the Bok head coach has repeatedly stated that an invitation to the camp does not automatically result in a Test cap, nor does a non-invite mean that a player won’t play for South Africa in 2026.
Additionally, the 49-man selection does not include any overseas-based players, 21 of whom will attend a virtual meeting in the coming weeks.
Still, the list of invitees does hint towards what Erasmus and his coaching have up their sleeves for what promises to be a pivotal year for the Springboks with the Nations Championship and Greatest Rivarly Series debuting.
So without further ado, here are our winners and losers from the Springboks alignment camp.
Winners
11 uncapped players
After making use of just under 50 players in both 2024 and 2025, Erasmus flexes the depth at the Springboks’ disposal by naming 11 uncapped players in his first ‘squad’ of the year.
Some of these players will be getting their very first taste of what the Boks are really about, while others have been on the radar for some time and have attended previous gatherings.
The uncapped 11 are: Kai Pratt, Emmanuel Tshituka, Siphosethu Mnebelele, Paul de Villiers, Riley Norton, Bathobele Hlekani, Jaco Williams, Sebastian de Klerk, Cheswill Jooste, Markus Muller and Haashim Pead.
Norton, Jooste, Mnebelele, Pratt and Muller all get the call despite still being part of Kevin Foote’s Junior Springboks squad, but it shows that while Erasmus’ attentions are on what will be an incredibly challenging year, he is still focused on not just being successful now but also going forward too.
Fellow 2025 Junior World Championship-winners Haashim Pead and Bathobele Hlekani also attend their first Springbok alignment camp, having trained with the Boks for a week in Johannesburg last season – Jooste did so as well.
The other players who secured their first invite to an alignment camp are Emmanuel Tshituka, Jaco Williams, and Paul de Villiers, as well as Zachary Porthen, who represented South Africa three times on the November tour last year.
Again, an invitation doesn’t mean that these players will don the Green and Gold jersey this year but it does mean that they are on the radar and get an opportunity to make an in-person impression on the coaches.
Frans Malherbe
Fears remain that Frans Malherbe may have already played his final rugby match having last taken to the pitch for the Stormers against the Scarlets last March. However, there looks to be a glimmer of light with Malherbe’s inclusion in the alignment camp as the veteran tighthead looks to earn his first Test cap since the 2023 Rugby World Cup final against the All Blacks.
The 34-year-old has been the standard-bearer not only for a Bok tighthead but for the international game as a whole being quite possibly the best number three, particularly in the scrums, for almost a decade.
Having lost Steven Kitshoff to a career-ending injury, scrum guru Daan Human will be eager to have Malherbe at his disposal again even if the likes of Wilco Louw and Thomas du Toit and co have been excellent in his absence.
Fresh flyers
On the complete opposite end of the teamsheet, Erasmus is looking to the long-term future of the outside backs with inclusions of speedsters Jaco Williams and Cheswill Jooste.
The duo have stamped their marks on senior rugby this season after starring for the Junior Boks, and at times have looked like seasoned pros in doing so.
Williams has benefitted from JP Pietersen taking over as head coach of the Sharks, earning his first start for the Durbanites in the SA derby against the Stormers in Cape Town. He repaid the Bok legend’s trust in him with a try on the day and then doubled his tally a week later against the same opposition in Durban.
Jooste has also crossed for three tries so far this campaign, scoring a brace in his URC debut against the Ospreys before grabbing a five-pointer in his Investec Champions Cup debut versus Pau.
At the age of 19 and 20, both players have plenty to learn at the highest level but the Bok coaches haven’t been shy to give youth a chance to shine, with Canan Moodie debuting against the Wallabies in Australia back in 2021 and quickly becoming a consistent inclusion in squads since.
Cheslin Kolbe (32), Makazole Mapimpi (35) and Kurt-Lee Arendse (29) aren’t exactly spring chickens and while they continue to produce top performances in Green and Gold, Erasmus is ensuring that when that starts to decline, successors are already comfortable in the set-up.
This is not forgetting that the likes of Ethan Hooker, Edwill van der Merwe and Moodie have all been capped already, the latter of which boasts a World Cup-winners’ medal too.
Makazole Mapimpi
“There is sometimes an emotional connection with the players and the management and coaching staff and when we have the opportunity, we do try and make it special for them. But yeah, it will be sad the day when Mapimpi is done because he always produces, ” Erasmus said back in November 2024 after Mapimpi grabbed two tries in the 32-15 victory over Scotland.
Earlier that week, the winger himself admitted that he thought it’d be unlikely that he’d make the Rugby World Cup in Australia, but fast forward to February 2026, and he remains in the Springboks’ mix or at least on the radar. This despite the fact that he played just one Test match for South Africa last year, against Italy in Gqeberha.
He spent a large chunk of the international season in the squad but his playing opportunities were incredibly limited by the likes of Kolbe and Arendse while the rise of Hooker didn’t aid his cause either.
Mapimpi clearly still has value to offer the Springboks though and while that ‘sad day’ is fast approaching, it isn’t happening just yet as one of the country’s favourite flyers remains an option at the highest level.
Siphosethu Mnebelele, Kai Pratt and Markus Muller
Erasmus has made a habit of including some outright bolters in his alignment squads. Ntokozo Makhaza was just that last year as the Varsity Cup superstar got the opportunity to mix it with the Springboks.
At the time, he hadn’t played a single professional rugby match for the Cheetahs, who he joined soon after, while Sampie Swiegers was the shock inclusion in 2024.
This year, Erasmus has ramped up that ploy to a degree with three players who have yet to make their URC or EPCR Rugby debuts for their respective unions in the form of hooker Siphosethu ‘Esethu’ Mnebelele, prop Kai Pratt and centre Markus Muller.
Mnebelele was already on the Boks’ watchlist last year as he was called into the end-of-year touring squad ahead of the clash with Wales, but was unable to link up with the team due to injury. The young front row is incredibly highly thought of in SA Rugby circles, so much so that there was a tug-of-war for his services, with reports stating that the Sharks emerged as victors.
Seen as a successor to Bongi Mbonambi, Mnebelele has yet to debut for the Bulls with Johan Grobbelaar, Jan-Hendrik Wessels and even Marco van Staden -who have all earned invites too – blocking his path to a first appearance for the Pretoria-based side along with Akker van der Merwe.
Meanwhile, prop Pratt and midfielder Muller are the two 18-year-olds invited to train with the squad, with both players primed to make a big splash in the near future. The duo were both part of the South African Schools team last year and were recently with Foote’s U20s team that travelled to Georgia.
Loosehead prop emerged as a potential area of concern for the Boks last year when Du Toit wasn’t as effective in the role as he is at tighthead, while Gerhard Steenekamp missed a chunk of the season. Boan Venter provided some remedy and is bound to be involved again this year, while Porthen has clearly been tipped as an emerging swing prop. It would be a massive shout to say that Pratt makes the World Cup squad next year but this first alignment camp proves that Erasmus is looking far beyond that.
Pratt is yet to play for the Sharks and the same is true for Muller at the Stormers, despite the centre training with the Cape-based outfit. Erasmus has no shortage of centre options, more on that shortly, but the opportunity to get a hands-on look at the much hyped Paarl Gim talent was too great for Erasmus to resist.
The trio have all been named in Foote’s team for the second and final game against Georgia on Friday with Muller and Mnebebele starting while Pratt will cover tighthead from the bench.
Sharks beat SA rivals to Bongi Mbonambi successor’s signature but lose Junior Springbok to Bulls
Quan Horn
Quan Horn snubbed offers from abroad in a bid to bolster his chances of adding to his single Springboks Test cap and on the evidence of the first alignment camp squad, he is being rewarded for that.
Willie le Roux’s absence is notable and while it won’t spell the end of his international career, it does bolster Horn’s chances. The 24-year-old has been in stunning form for the Lions and consistently performs for Ivan van Rooyen’s side.
He was unlucky not to get a call-up last year but maybe just maybe, 2026 will be the year that he really makes his mark on the Green and Gold jersey.
Paul de Villiers
Paul de Villiers’ performances with the Stormers simply could not be ignored. He has been a serial man of the match winner in the URC and Investec Champions Cup for the club this season and has filled Deon Fourie’s void brilliantly.
The former Junior Boks captain was overlooked for an invitation previously as Erasmus and his staff favoured Lions rookie Renzo du Plessis but De Villiers gets the call this time around and rightly so.
Cameron Hanekom
Erasmus and his assistants have rewarded provincial form in their selections, but that is absolutely not the case with Cameron Hanekom.
The Bulls loose forward is still nursing an injury that denied him a chance to add to his one Test cap last year and has kept him sidelined so far this season.
The 23-year-old clearly has a bright future ahead of him and once he is fully fit again, he is bound to be a straightforward call-up.
Rassie Erasmus
Through much of his own work and that of SA Rugby, Rassie Erasmus just about everything working in his favour to be successful. This squad proves just that as the work of Dave Wessels and Foote is clearly filtering upwards to best serve the Boks.
Having trusted advisors working with the pathways is keeping the head coach and his staff incredibly well-informed about the talent coming through.
South Africa have an insane schoolboy and club rugby system but that matters little if it isn’t nurtured properly, something that Erasmus and SA Rugby are eager to ensure doesn’t happen and in some cases, speeding up their development.
Losers
Snubbed centres
Muller’s inclusion is made all the more impressive when one considers the plethora of talented centres that Erasmus has not invited to the camp in Cape Town.
Damian de Allende, Jesse Kriel and Lukhanyo Am are all plying their trade in Japan and will surely take part in the virtual meeting. Hooker, Moodie and Andre Esterhuizen further highlight the depth, but then there are the likes of Henco van Wyk, Bronson Mills, Jurenzo Julius, David Kriel, Suleiman Hartzenberg and Jan Serfontein.
Van Wyk has attended previous camp and Erasmus has spoken highly of him before but injuries have hampered his involvement for the Lions and possibly the Boks. Meanwhile, Mills has been tearing it up for the Joburgers this season while Julius has been a breath of fresh air under Pietersen at the Sharks.
In fact, the young centre has arguably enjoyed the finest run of form of his early career in recent weeks with Pietersen deploying him at number 12. He was invited to a camp last year as well and will surely come back into the mix at some point in the future.
Kriel has been a consistent performer for the Bulls for several seasons now but that has been largely overlooked by the Boks and that continues to be the case. As for Serfontein, he last played for the Springboks in 2017 earning his 35th Test cap against New Zealand.
At 32, Serfontein still has plenty to offer the Springboks but he too has struggled with injuries at the Bulls. His return to Pretoria opens the opportunity up for easier access but for now, Erasmus doesn’t see the need to tap into that just yet.
Double World Cup-winning trio
As much as we can read into the inclusion, the omissions provide a lot of insight too. Notably, in the form of three double Rugby World Cup winners in the form of Vincent Koch, Bongi Mbonambi and Willie le Roux. The trio all saw their stocks drop in 2025 as Erasmus’ previous statement of a natural progression of the squad started to take form.
Exclusion from the camp again does not automatically mean that their ticket with the Boks has been punched, as the experienced campaigners don’t need the alignment as much as the others. But ushering in the youngesters in their positions suggests that Erasmus is at the very least preparing for the worst.
Kelly Mpeku
Lions fans will be pleased that six players have been invited to the camp but will be somewhat puzzled by the absence of Kelly Mpeku. Cracking the call for the Boks is no easy feat and even more so for an out-and-out winger but Mpeku will have been completely deserving of an inclusion.
This has been a real breakthrough campaign for the 23-year-old, who has grabbed three tries in seven appearances and was particularly sublime against the Sharks.
Unlucky loosies
Mpeku’s teammates Francke Horn and Renzo du Plessis also fall into that unlucky category along with a plethora of standout loose forwards. Jeandre Rudolph too as he has been a shining light at the worst and best times in the Bulls’ season to date.
The list goes on and on with Ruan Ackermann who has returned to South Africa to chase the Green and Gold jersey and Junior Springboks star Matt Romao who has laid down a marker with the Sharks recently.
Phepsi Buthlezi has also enjoyed a mammoth uptick in form but is overlooked with the Tshituka brothers preferred.
Local locks
Considering all the fresh faces in the Springboks set-up, it is rather surprising that Erasmus has not taken a closer look at the second row depth.
“My honest opinion is that we are thin at lock, if you look at our lock depth, age bracket, and the number of caps that we have there,” he told reporters in January.
Lood de Jager, RG Snyman, Eben Etzebeth and Franco Mostert are the experienced options but the main concern for Erasmus is the less experienced talents. He has included Ruan Nortje, Cobus Wiese and Salmaan Moerat which suggests that the stocks are not nearly as thin as he suggests.
However, if he really does believe that it’s an area where work is needed, it’s rather shocking that players like JF van Heerden, Nico Janse van Rensburg, Reinhardt Ludwig, Ruben van Heerden, Corne Rahl and others haven’t been invited.
The inclusion of Norton points to lock being addressed, but the Junior Bok skipper is very much a number five lock, akin to Mostert and could be a hybrid lock-blindside in the mould of Pieter-Steph du Toit. However, tighthead isn’t being addressed.
Embrose Papier
Spare a thought for Embrose Papier. The 28-year-old is simply not getting a sniff at the Springboks set-up at the moment, despite being consistently one of the best number nines domestically.
The problem for Papier is that his pathway is blocked by Cobus Reinach, who is enjoying career-best form so late, the brilliance of Grant Williams and the rise of prodigy Haashim Pead.
Realistically, he is squaring off with the likes of Jaden Hendrikse and Morne van den Berg for a look-in and the coaching team clearly rates the duo highly. The former has had his highs and lows form-wise but has the skillset to be a world-class operator for the Springboks and the latter has also been in good nick and fits the Tony Brown-coached attack well.
Papier is in the sticky spot where he is definitely good enough to play Test rugby but is playing in a position where the Springboks have incredible depth, allowing the coaches to be meticulous in their selection.
Williams, Reinach and Van den Berg clearly fit the bill for the coaches, while Hendrikse is given the opportunity to stake his claim once again, having shown real promise in the years prior and looking to the future, Pead has at least 50 Test caps written all over him.
To rub salt into Papier’s wounds, there are other young nines knocking about with huge promise in the form of Nico Steyn and Bradley Davids, while Canadian international Ross Braude becomes eligible for South Africa again later this year.