Frans Malherbe back on Springboks radar as first alignment squad is named

Rassie Erasmus has named his initial 49-man squad ahead of the first in-person Springbok ‘alignment’ camp, which will be held in Cape Town between March 3-6.

Eleven uncapped players, including five current Junior Boks, will get an understanding of the standards expected of Springboks, as the coaching group zoom in on the challenges ahead.

Last year’s World Rugby U20 Championship-winning captain Riley Norton (utility forward), and his SA U20 team-mates from last year, Cheswill Jooste (utility back) and Siphosethu Mnebelele (hooker) are among the Junior Boks’ contingent, while two players from the 2025 SA U18 squad who are currently on tour with the U20s in Georgia, Kai Pratt (prop) and Markus Muller (centre), also feature in the group.

Jooste, scrum-half 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 Emmanuel Tshituka (utility forward), Jaco Williams (wing), Paul de Villiers (flanker), and Zachary Porthen (prop), who made his Test debut against Japan late last year.

Frans Malherbe is one of 14 Rugby World Cup winners in the squad, with the prop having been sidelined since September 2024 due to a combination of back and neck issues.

The 76-cap tight-head, who turns 35 next month, has missed the last 17 Springboks Tests.

The camp will include a series of boardroom and gym 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 Rugby World Cup 2027, 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.

Erasmus was pleased with the make-up of the squad, saying: “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.

“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.”

Looking at the forthcoming season, Erasmus said the team’s planning was at an advanced stage and that they looked forward to working with the players with the international season kicking off on Saturday, 20 June against the Barbarians in Gqeberha.

“The coaches and management staff have been working around the clock to ensure that we are as prepared as possible for what will be a challenging season, and all the operational and logistical aspects are in place for everything to run as smoothly as possible, so we are excited for the season ahead,” said the Bok coach.

“The next step is to start working with the players and getting them into the swing of things, so we are delighted about this opportunity to get everyone aligned.”

The Springboks will host a second alignment camp in May.

The Barbarians fixture will be followed by three local matches in the Nations Championship, against England in Johannesburg (July 4), Scotland in Pretoria (July 11), and Wales in Durban (July 18).

They will then meet Argentina in Buenos Aires (August 8), and the All Blacks in four Tests in the Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series in August and September.

This will be followed by an away Test against the Wallabies in Australia (September 27), before the second leg of the Nations Championship kicks off in Europe, with matches against Italy (November 7), France (November 13), and Ireland (November 21), before the Finals Weekend in London (27 to 29 November).

Players invited to the first Springbok alignment camp:

Forwards: Eben Etzebeth, Siya Kolisi, Ox Nche, Kai Pratt, Emmanuel Tshituka, Vincent Tshituka (all Hollywoodbets Sharks), Johan Grobbelaar, Cameron Hanekom, Elrigh Louw, Wilco Louw, Siphosethu Mnebebele, Ruan Nortje, Gerhard Steenekamp, Marco van Staden, Cobus Wiese, Jan-Hendrik Wessels (all Vodacom Bulls), Paul de Villiers, Ben-Jason Dixon, Neethling Fouche, Frans Malherbe, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Salmaan Moerat, Riley Norton, Zachary Porthen, Evan Roos (all DHL 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 Hollywoodbets Sharks), Kurt-Lee Arendse, Sebastian de Klerk, Cheswill Jooste, Canan Moodie, Handre Pollard (all Vodacom Bulls), Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Markus Muller, Cobus Reinach, Damian Willemse (all DHL Stormers), Quan Horn, Haashim Pead, Morne van den Berg (all Lions).