By Lehlohonolo Lehana.
Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus has named a 49-man squad featuring 11 uncapped players for the first in-person alignment camp of the year in Cape Town.
The camp will run from 3 to 6 March, as the Bok coaches focus on the 2026 season, starting with a Barbarians non-Test in Gqeberha on 20 June, followed by a Test against England in Johannesburg on 4 July.
The group includes 14 World Cup winners, with Frans Malherbe – who has been out of action since the 2023 World Cup 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 and utility forward Riley Norton and his SA U20 teammates from last year, utility back Cheswill Jooste and hooker Siphosethu Mnebelele, while two players from the 2025 SA U18 squad who are currently on tour with the Junior Boks in Georgia, prop Kai Pratt and centre Markus Muller, also feature in the group.
Jooste, scrumhalf Haashim Pead and utility forward Bathobele Hlekani – 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 utility forward Emmanuel Tshituka, wing Jaco Williams, flanker Paul de Villiers and prop Zachary Porthen, 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 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.
“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,” said Erasmus.
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.”
He said coaches and management staff have been working around the clock to ensure the Springboks will be as prepared as possible for what will be a challenging season.
Players invited to the first Springbok alignment camp:
Forwards: Eben Etzebeth, Siya Kolisi, Ox Nche, Kai Pratt, Emmanuel Tshituka, Vincent Tshituka (all Sharks), Johan Grobbelaar, Cameron Hanekom, Elrigh Louw, Wilco Louw, Siphosethu Mnebebele, Ruan Nortje, Gerhard Steenekamp, Marco van Staden, Cobus Wiese, Jan-Hendrik Wessels (all Bulls), Paul de Villiers, Ben-Jason Dixon, Neethling Fouche, Frans Malherbe, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Salmaan Moerat, Riley Norton, Zachary Porthen, Evan Roos (all 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 Sharks), Kurt-Lee Arendse, Sebastian de Klerk, Cheswill Jooste, Canan Moodie, Handre Pollard (all Bulls), Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Markus Muller, Cobus Reinach, Damian Willemse (all Stormers), Quan Horn, Haashim Pead, Morne van den Berg (all Lions).