1
Rassie Erasmus names Springboks squad of 56 for March meet-up
By Liam Heagney
Rassie Erasmus has named his first Springboks squad of 2025, a domestic players only assembly consisting of 18 Sharks, 17 Bulls, 13 Stormers and eight Lions. The 56-strong selection will meet in Cape Town for a three-day camp ahead of a Test season that begins with the July visits to South Africa from Italy and Georgia.
ADVERTISEMENT
A statement read: “The Springboks will get the wheels in motion for the 2025 season when Rassie Erasmus and his management team host the first in-person coaches’ strategic session of the year followed by a three-day alignment camp with a group of 56 domestic players in Cape Town next month.
“Erasmus and his support staff will also host virtual alignment camps with the overseas-based players, a group of talented youngsters, and injured players plying their trade domestically, who were not invited to this camp, following the conclusion of this session.
Video Player is loading.
“The coaches will assemble in the Mother City on March 7 for a three-day planning block for the challenging season ahead. The alignment camp, which is set to conclude on March 12, will comprise two gym sessions and a series of boardroom meetings to get the players up to speed on the requirements and expected standards for season.
“The group includes 18 members of the 2023 Rugby World Cup-winning squad – 10 of which were also crowned champions at the 2019 RWC, and five of whom participated in the 2015 international extravaganza – with additional 22 capped national players named in the group.
“A handful of players will get to work with the coaching staff once again after either being involved in previous alignment camps or the national set-up, as well as the South African A team. This group includes the likes of Celimpilo Gumede, Suleiman Hartzenberg, Asenathi Ntlabakanye and Henco van Wyk, while players such as Jurenzo Julius, JF van Heerden, and Reinhardt Ludwig will get their first taste of Springbok rugby.
“This will mark the first of three alignment camps as the Springboks lay the foundation for the international season which will see the world champions and Castle Lager Rugby Championship title holders face Italy in back-to-back Tests on July 5 and 12 followed by a clash against Georgia on July 19 in the Castle Lager Incoming Series.
ADVERTISEMENT
“They will launch their title defence of the Castle Lager Rugby Championship in August with successive matches against Australia in South Africa (on August 16 and 23) before travelling to New Zealand where they will face their arch-rivals, the All Blacks, in Auckland and Wellington (on September 6 and 13).
“The team will return to South Africa for a clash against Argentina (September 27) and will wrap up their campaign with the closing match of the 2025 edition of the southern hemisphere showpiece against Argentina at the Allianz Stadium, Twickenham in London (October 4). The venues of the domestic Test matches will be announced in due course.”
Erasmus said: “Our alignment camps have proven invaluable in the last few years as it offers us the opportunity to present our structures for the season, as well as the Springbok culture and way of doing things. The focus at this camp will be to get everyone on the same page for the 2025 season, which will be vital in laying a good foundation for us to build on with a challenging campaign coming up.
“Most of these players have formed part of our structures at some stage in the last seven years, and their experience and familiarity with the way we do things at the Springboks will be invaluable in guiding the younger players, while others have been exposed to our structures before, so they have a good understanding of the way we operate.
ADVERTISEMENT
“I’m also excited for the new players in the mix, who have made their mark at franchise level, and we are excited to see them receive this opportunity to get a taste of what is expected of them at the highest level.”
Springboks alignment camp
Forwards (33):
Bulls (12): Johan Grobbelaar, Celimpilo Gumede, Cameron Hanekom, Wilco Louw, Reinhardt Ludwig, Ruan Nortje, Gerhard Steenekamp, Akker van der Merwe, JF van Heerden, Marco van Staden, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Cobus Wiese;
Sharks (9): Ethan Bester, Phepsi Buthelezi, Eben Etzebeth, Vincent Koch, Siya Kolisi, Bongi Mbonambi, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Ox Nche, Trevor Nyakane;
Stormers (8): Ben-Jason Dixon, Joseph Dweba, Neethling Fouche, Deon Fourie, Frans Malherbe, Salmaan Moerat, Evan Roos, Andre-Hugo Venter;
Lions (4): Renzo du Plessis, Francke Horn, Asenathi Ntlabakanye, Ruan Venter.
Backs (23):
Sharks (9): Lukhanyo Am, Andre Esterhuizen, Aphelele Fassi, Jaden Hendrikse, Jordan Hendrikse, Ethan Hooker, Jurenzo Julius, Makazole Mapimpi, Grant Williams;
Stormers (5): Paul de Wet, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Suleiman Hartzenberg, Manie Libbok, Damian Willemse
Bulls (5): Sebastian de Klerk, David Kriel, Willie le Roux, Canan Moodie, Embrose Papier;
Lions (4): Quan Horn, Morne van den Berg, Edwill van der Merwe, Henco van Wyk.
To be first in line for Rugby World Cup 2027 Australia tickets, register your interest here
It started with a dream—a dream of financial independence, of escaping the grind and securing a future for my family. Like many others, I was drawn to the world of cryptocurrency. The stories of people striking it rich with Bitcoin were everywhere, and I thought, why not me? That’s when I stumbled upon an online investment platform promising astronomical returns. I invested a substantial amount of my savings, believing I was on the path to financial freedom.But within weeks, everything fell apart. The platform vanished overnight. Emails bounced back, phone numbers were disconnected, and my funds were gone. I felt like I had been hit by a truck. The weight of my mistake was crushing I had not only lost my savings but also jeopardized my family’s future. I was drowning in guilt, anger, and despair, unsure of where to turn.That’s when I found Washington Recovery Pro. At first, I was skeptical. How could anyone recover money from anonymous Bitcoin scammers? But I was desperate, and I decided to give them a shot,from the moment I reached out, Washington Recovery Pro was different. They listened to my story with genuine empathy and assured me that they had helped countless others in my situation.They specialized in tracing cryptocurrency transactions, uncovering the identities of scammers, and working with international authorities to recover stolen funds. Their transparency gave me hope. Finally, the breakthrough came. They had traced my funds to a series of wallets and identified the individuals behind the scam. Through their network of legal and law enforcement partners, they initiated a recovery process.The day I received the news that a significant portion of my funds had been recovered was one of the happiest of my life. Washington Recovery Pro had not only given me back my money but also restored my faith in justice.Reach out to them Via..
Email~WashingtonRecoveryPro@engineer.com WhatsApp ~+1 (903) 249‑8633 Telegram ~https://t.me/Washingtonrecoverypro
Smart move. Not just preparing the core Bok group, but getting the potential Boks engaged in how the team operates. It’s not rocket science, but its how to do it.
Agreed. Although the peanut gallery will still think he’s not doing enough to blend in new players over this cycle…
There are some interesting (good) names in this alignment camp. Can’t wait to see a few of them debut.
I’m worried about Eben. I fear he’s either going to be out for most if not all of this season, or forced to retire. Hoping he’s okay!
There is many talent that will be disappointed in not being chosen, but there can only be so many players in a team. Not all will be involved in tests, but they will get a better understanding of what will be needed from them to reach the upper echelons. Of course there will be a lot of negative comments from people not realising that it's just an alignment camp and not a test team for the year ahead
Power