Great to see the return of Wilco Louw and the inclusion of Ruben van Heerden for me the best lock playing in SA right now.
I see a Cheetahs player has made it - 26 year old hooker Marnus vd Merwe. Good to see the minor union players not being overlooked
Disappointing omissions would be
Gelant
Fassi
Zas
David Kriel
Papier
Dweba
Andre Smith
Ruan Vermaak
Buthelezi
Jason Dixon
Dayamani
Franke Horn
Theunissen
Yes Wilco is there : ) and Fouche deserves the call up….very sorry about theunissen and David Kriel…I am sure they will still get there chance…
I like Fouche but he is 31 - there is no point especially when we have Wilco and Thomas du Toit
It’s crazy that Hartzenberg makes it and David Kriel does not
I’m yet to see anything special from Hartzenberg. There are hints but I’m yet to be convinced
It’s a tough call…Hartzenberg does have the XFactor but Kriel does have some of it to…Fouche is there as his form for the Stormers were very good…he is a good Back up. Willie,s inclusion is probably to show the youngsters the ropes …and where is Esterhozen and Dda?
No overseas based players are in the squad other than those that are injured and doing rehab in SA like Faf and Jessie Kriel
David Kriel has far more X factor than Hartzenberg - I’m yet to see anything special from him.
I see no point in Fouche aged 31 when you have Malherbe plus Wilco and Thomas as back ups
We need to move on from Willie he is now too old same applies to Koch
Biggest misses for me based on current form are Fassi, Papier and Dayamani
If Koch is to old, then the same counts for Frans…they 1 year apart….the stalwarts form the core and the new ones can learn from them, until they can take over….I see Roos is getting another chance and hopefully he can find his groove on the big stage…good new talent will be breathing down his neck though…Johan Grobbelaar and Ruben v H eventually: ) Mchunu I am not so sure about…it looks like he lacks scrum power…
Yeah but Frans is the incumbent so you stick with him. No point in sticking with Koch the back up.
You want your back up to take over from Frans when he is done, not be older than him. Wilco Louw or Thomas du Toit should have been ahead of Koch anyway - they have always been better
Yeah I’m not sure how good Mchunu is in the scrums - time will tell. Gerhard Steenkamp is the real deal at loosehead
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SQUAD ANNOUNCEMENT: The Springboks will get the wheels in motion for the 2024 season in Cape Town in the first week of March with the first in-person coaches’ strategic session.
It will include a two-day alignment camp with a group of 43 players, which will mark the team’s first gathering following their World Cup triumph in France in 2023.
The coaching team, led by double Rugby World Cup-winning coach Rassie Erasmus, will assemble in the Mother City on Monday, March 4, for two days where they will plot their plans for the 2024 season – which includes the mid-year Test matches and Rugby Championship. These competitions will feature entertaining Test series against Ireland and New Zealand respectively.
The group of 43 include 39 domestic players and four Japan-based players, who are currently injured and doing their rehabilitation in South Africa. The group will gather on Tuesday, March 5 for two days of boardroom sessions to get everyone up to speed on the way forward this season.
Nineteen individuals were members of the 2023 World Cup-winning team, including Ox Nche, Frans Malherbe (both props), Bongi Mbonambi (hooker), Marco van Staden (flank) and Canan Moodie (utility back).
A handful of players, meanwhile, will get to work with some of the coaching staff again after either being involved in the set-up before at alignment camp or SA ‘A’ level, including Sanele Nohamba, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Suleiman Hartzenberg, while others will get their first taste of Springbok rugby including Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Quan Horn, Neethling Fouche and Marnus van der Merwe, among others.
To Erasmus’ delight 27 players in the group have Test caps, meaning there will be a healthy mix of youth and experience.
Commenting on the coaches’ strategic session, Erasmus said: “We are delighted that the new coaching team will meet in person for the first time and that we will have the opportunity to present solid structures and the Springbok culture and way of doing things to the invited players.
“The focus at this camp will be to get everyone on the same page for the 2024 season and we believe this will lay a good foundation for us looking forward.
“Jerry (Flannery) and Tony (Brown) are going to play vital roles in this coaching team, and we are excited to see them along with our other coaching staff put proper steps into action as we prepare for the challenging season ahead.”
Of the group of players invited to the camp, Erasmus said: “This bunch of players includes several individuals who have been part of our structures in the last six 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 it before by representing the SA ‘A’ team that faced Munster and the Bristol Bears in November 2022.
“There are also a few new players in the mix, who have proven their worth at provincial level and we are excited to see them receive this opportunity and get a real feel about what is expected of them at the highest level.”
This will mark the first of three alignment camps before the Springboks put the building blocks in place on the field for the international season, which includes two Tests against Ireland and the first international against Portugal in the Incoming Series in July.
The Rugby Championship, meanwhile, will see the world champions play back-to-back Tests against Australia away before successive Tests against New Zealand at home, and two Tests – one home and one away – against Argentina.
Players invited to Springbok alignment camp (in alphabetical order):
Forwards: Eben Etzebeth (Sharks), Neethling Fouche (Stormers), Johan Grobbelaar (Bulls), Celimpilo Gumede (Bulls), Cameron Hanekom (Bulls), Andre-Hugo Venter (Stormers), Vincent Koch (Sharks), Elrigh Louw (Bulls), Wilco Louw (Bulls), Frans Malherbe (Stormers), Bongi Mbonambi (Sharks), Malcolm Marx (Spears), Ntuthuko Mchunu (Sharks), Salmaan Moerat (Stormers), Ox Nche (Sharks), Ruan Nortje (Bulls), Evan Roos (Stormers), Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs), Gerhard Steenekamp (Bulls), Marnus van der Merwe (Cheetahs), Ruben van Heerden (Stormers), Marco van Staden (Bulls), Ruan Venter (Lions), Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Bulls).
Backs: Lukhanyo Am (Sharks), Kurt-Lee Arendse (Bulls), Faf de Klerk (Eagles), Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (Stormers), Suleiman Hartzenberg (Stormers), Jaden Hendrikse (Sharks), Jordan Hendrikse (Lions), Quan Horn (Lions), Herschel Jantjies (Stormers), Jesse Kriel (Eagles), Willie le Roux (Bulls), Manie Libbok (Stormers), Makazole Mapimpi (Sharks), Canan Moodie (Bulls), Sanele Nohamba (Lions), Morne van den Berg (Lions), Henco van Wyk (Lions), Grant Williams (Sharks), Damian Willemse (Stormers).