Springboks: Consistently overlooked star finally gets his chance as Rassie Erasmus names two newbies in alignment camp squad
Bulls scrum-half Embrose Papier (inset) and Springboks head coach Rassie Erasmus.
Rassie Erasmus has invited 40 players to the Springboks’ second in-person alignment camp of the year which will be held in Cape Town next week.
The “purpose and goal-driven” squad features South African-based players and includes two players invited to their first camp in Lions loose forward Sibabalwe Mahashe and Sharks utility back Zekhethelo Siyaya.
Meanwhile, consistently overlooked Bulls star Embrose Papier, as well as Francke Horn, Andre-Hugo Venter, and Henco van Wyk, who have all attended alignment camps in previous years, have also been included in the group.
Several experienced players, who have been involved in the Springboks set-up for several years, are currently ruled out due to injuries and Erasmus said the aim of the upcoming camp was to expose these players to the team’s structures and systems with an eye on the next two seasons and beyond.
It was also confirmed that a second virtual alignment camp will be hosted following the conclusion of the upcoming session which will be held from Tuesday, May 19 to Thursday, May 21.
The alignment camp squad comprises 25 forwards and 15 backline players and includes 10 uncapped players in Mahashe, Siyaya, Paul de Villiers, Bathobele Hlekani, Francke Horn, Riley Norton, Haashim Pead, Emmanuel Tshituka, Van Wyk and Jaco Williams.
Second virtual alignment camp also lined up
Erasmus also revealed that a second virtual alignment camp will be hosted following the conclusion of this session.
“This is an exciting group of players, and it’s been pleasing to see them make their presence felt in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship and during their teams’ Investec Champions Cup and EPCR Challenge Cup campaigns this season,” he said.
“This camp will be a good opportunity to expose those invited to our setup and the standards expected of the national coaches.
“We’re looking forward to involving Sibabalwe, Zekhethelo, Andre, Embrose, Francke, and Henco at this camp as we continue to build our squad depth.
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“There are several players who are not currently fit to play, and we look forward to seeing them back in action in the near future, knowing they have a good sense of how the team operates and what will be expected of them when they return.”
Adding context to the camp, Erasmus said: “It’s important to be clear about the objective of this alignment camp, and that is to expose these players to our environment, our standards, and the way we operate.
“The players who will not be present, whether through injury or workload, remain in our plans, and each one of them is on his own path with his own set of timelines.
“This week will give us the chance to align those who are fit and firing now with the way we want to operate, so that when an opportunity arises either this year or further down the line, they are ready to step up and deliver at international level.”
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The Springboks’ international campaign kicks off with a double-header in Gqeberha on Saturday, 20 June, when the Boks host the Barbarians and the SA ‘A’ team face Zimbabwe, before three home matches in the Nations Championship – against England in Johannesburg (4 July), Scotland in Pretoria (11 July), and Wales in Durban (18 July).
The world champions will then take on Argentina in Buenos Aires (8 August) and the All Blacks in four Tests in the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series in August and September.
An away Test against the Wallabies in Australia (27 September) follows, before the second leg of the Nations Championship gets underway in Europe, with matches against Italy (7 November), France (13 November) and Ireland (21 November), ahead of the Finals Weekend in London (27 to 29 November).
Players invited to the second in-person Springbok alignment camp of 2026
Forwards: Paul de Villiers, Ben-Jason Dixon, Neethling Fouche, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Salmaan Moerat, Riley Norton, Zachary Porthen, Evan Roos, Andre-Hugo Venter, Bathobele Hlekani, Francke Horn, Sibabalwe Mahashe, Asenathi Ntlabakanye, Johan Grobbelaar, Cameron Hanekom, Elrigh Louw, Wilco Louw, Ruan Nortje, Gerhard Steenekamp, Marco van Staden, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Cobus Wiese, Siya Kolisi, Ox Nche, Emmanuel Tshituka
Backs: Kurt-Lee Arendse, Canan Moodie, Embrose Papier, Handre Pollard, Andre Esterhuizen, Zekhethelo Siyaya, Edwill van der Merwe, Grant Williams, Jaco Williams, Quan Horn, Haashim Pead, Henco van Wyk, Morne van den Berg, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Damian Willemse
