Rassie Erasmus has invited 49 players for the first Springboks’ first in-person alignment camp of the year next week.
The head coach has cast a wide net in doing so with 11 uncapped players included, five of whom are still in the Junior Boks ranks.
Frans Malherbe, who hasn’t played for the Springboks since the 2023 Rugby World Cup final victory over New Zealand, has been invited along with 13 other World Cup winners with veteran full-back Willie le Roux and hooker Bongi Mbonambi being notable absentees. The experienced tighthead prop has been sidelined since last March due to back and neck injuries but is nearing a long-awaited return for the Stormers.
Erasmus gets youth involved
Five U20 players will also feature in the group that gathers in Cape Town next week with the camp running from Tuesday, 3 to Friday, 6 March.
They are 2025 Junior World Championship-winning captain Riley Norton and his SA U20 team-mates from last year, Cheswill Jooste and Siphosethu Mnebelele, while two players from the 2025 SA U18 squad who are currently on tour with the Junior Boks in Georgia, Kai Pratt and Markus Muller, also feature in the group.
Jooste, Haashim Pead, and Bathobele Hlekani – who will all attend their first Springbok alignment camp – trained with the Boks for a week in Johannesburg last season.
Emmanuel Tshituka, Jaco Williams, Paul de Villiers and Zachary Porthen have all secured their first invites to a Springboks alignment camp, though the latter did make his Test debut against Japan 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, a statement from SA Rugby confirmed as Erasmus and his staff ramp up their preparations for the 2026 season and build toward the World Cup in Australia.
Additionally, it will also offer some of the younger players valuable insight into the senior national set-up.
“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,” coach Erasmus said.
“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.”
The Springboks will host a second alignment camp in May while a virtual alignment camp with 21 overseas-based players is set to occur in the coming weeks.
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Players invited to the first Springbok alignment camp of 2026
Forwards: Eben Etzebeth, Siya Kolisi, Ox Nche, Kai Pratt, Emmanuel Tshituka, Vincent Tshituka, Johan Grobbelaar, Cameron Hanekom, Elrigh Louw, Wilco Louw, Siphosethu Mnebebele, Ruan Nortje, Gerhard Steenekamp, Marco van Staden, Cobus Wiese, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Paul de Villiers, Ben-Jason Dixon, Neethling Fouche, Frans Malherbe, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Salmaan Moerat, Riley Norton, Zachary Porthen, Evan Roos, Bathobele Hlekani, Asenathi Ntlabakanye, Ruan Venter.
Backs: Andre Esterhuizen, Aphelele Fassi, Jaden Hendrikse, Jordan Hendrikse, Ethan Hooker, Makazole Mapimpi, Edwill van der Merwe, Grant Williams, Jaco Williams, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Sebastian de Klerk, Cheswill Jooste, Canan Moodie, Handre Pollard, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Markus Muller, Cobus Reinach, Damian Willemse, Quan Horn, Haashim Pead, Morne van den Berg .
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