Springboks alignment camp: Winners and losers as Rassie Erasmus’ ‘masterplan’ becomes clear while Evan Roos handed ‘big chance’ after recent brain fades
Our key winners and losers from the Springboks' 40-man alignment camp selection.
Following the announcement of the Springboks’ 40-man in-person alignment camp, here is our take on the key winners and losers from Rassie Erasmus’ selection.
Winners
Uncapped men
Erasmus has named 10 uncapped players in his wider 40-man group for this camp, in the form of Paul de Villiers, Bathobele Hlekani, Francke Horn, Mahashe, Riley Norton, Haashim Pead, Siyaya, Emmanuel Tshituka, Henco van Wyk and Jaco Williams, which again bodes well for both their Test chances and the wider Boks group.
From an individual perspective, inclusion in this squad is certainly a deserved reward for their form across the domestic campaign, but it also shows how the Springboks are already looking into the future. Alignment camps like this are the perfect way to get uncapped guys involved without having the pressure of looming Test matches to contend with, ensuring they get a flavour of life in camp as well as understanding the goals of the national side should they make the full squad in July.
Having a group this big also reflects the depth of talent available to the Boks right now, which is always a good thing to have, looking towards the upcoming Test season, but also the wider World Cup cycle and beyond.
New duo
While it might not lead to a cap this season, the inclusion of Sibabalwe Mahashe and Zekhethelo Siyaya is again part of Rassie’s masterplan for the next iteration of the Springboks. The duo have both put in some excellent performances for their URC sides this year, but again, this is just a chance for Erasmus to get a proper look at them.
Both players will likely go on and win plenty of caps in the future, but bringing them in now is such a good way to fast-track their development within the context of a senior international environment, without also preparing for a Test match.
As Erasmus has said in the past, these camps are also to get the players focused on the collective goals of the Boks in the immediate future and more long-term, too, so that, should they get a chance at some point, they will know exactly what is required of them.
It’s a really smart play by the director of rugby.
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Evan Roos
It’s been a bumpy ride for Evan Roos at Test level in recent years, but his inclusion in the alignment camp once again shows he is still very much in contention.
Roos does still potentially have something to prove at Test level, given his previous omissions from the squad, and has been partial to some brain fades in recent weeks as well, but his selection in this camp proves he is not far away from a recall and is by no means in Erasmus’ bad books.
It’s a big chance for him.
Embrose Papier
The scrum-half has had an extended wait for another crack at Test rugby, but his selection in this alignment camp shows he’s not far off ending his exile. For whatever reason, Papier has just been consistently overlooked when it comes to the Boks, with his last cap coming back in 2019, but his form this season has made him impossible to ignore.
Papier has been a real rock of consistency in an otherwise stop-start season for the Pretoria-based side, scoring nine tries in his 19 appearances – 14 of which have also been starts – and that would certainly have pleased Erasmus. The Boks are also always trying out new scrum-halves, and bringing him back into the mix would only add more strength to this positional chart.
Losers
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Injured players
The Springboks are nursing a few injury concerns at the moment, with Eben Etzebeth, Ethan Hooker, Aphelele Fassi, Frans Malherbe, Cheswill Jooste, Deon Fourie, Cobus Reinach and Seb de Klerk all currently sidelined.
They are certainly not out of the picture looking towards the July Tests and the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series against the All Blacks, though, with Erasmus detailing they remain in his mind.
“The players who will not be present, whether through injury or workload, remain in our plans,” he said. “And each one of them is on his own path with his own set of timelines.”
But, in the here and now, they must bide their time before coming back into the Springbok fold.
Vincent Tshituka
The Springboks are pretty loaded in the back-row right now, which sees Vintcent Tshituka fall out of the picture for now. The Sharks’ form might also have counted against him, with them languishing 10th in the URC table, but he also does face competition from the likes of experienced men like Siya Kolisi and then some uncapped men like Paul de Villiers, among others.
It’s by no means the end of his Test hopes this year, but he will feel slightly disappointed.
Makazole Mapimpi and Willie le Roux
There is no denying their service to the Springboks in years gone by, but is their omission here the sign that Erasmus is moving on from Makazole Mapimpi and Willie le Roux? The pair have been a huge part of the Boks’ side for a while, but there is a new generation of players both on the wing and at full-back, and it seems Erasmus is starting to blood them into his Test squad now.
Given their experience, they would certainly slot straight back into the squad if called upon, but this alignment camp allows the DoR to get a proper look at players who could be part of the Boks’ team for the foreseeable future. It’s a chance to find the next Mapimpi and le Roux.
Hendrikse brothers
Jaden and Jordan Hendrikse were both notable absentees from this alignment camp, with Erasmus favouring other options at both nine and 10.
This is not the first time they have found themselves outside of the Test picture, but again, it’s just Erasmus getting a better look at all of his options in those key positions, and unfortunately, they miss out this time.
Imad Khan
This could have been a great chance to bring Imad Khan into the fold, considering his form for the Stormers, but he is another who can feel unlucky to miss out.
Erasmus cannot pick everyone available to him, of course, and it’s more likely just Khan falling victim to the depth chart in his position, but the scrum-half does seem to meet all the criteria the Boks are after right now. He has been in great touch for the Stormers in recent months and, crucially, is still very much a developing talent as well, so this could have been a great chance to get him in and take a look at him.
His chance will come, no doubt, but he will have to wait a bit longer.