Rassie Erasmus names 40-man Springboks squad for 'Alignment Camp'

byTom Sansom

Springbok head coach Rassie Erasmus has named a 40-man squad for South Africa’s second in-person alignment camp of the year.

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There are several exciting young talents earning opportunities to impress ahead of the 2026 international campaign. The camp will take place in Cape Town from May 19-21 and includes a mixture of established internationals, returning squad members and emerging stars who have caught the eye in the URC and European competitions this season.

Among the headline inclusions are first-time invitees Sibabalwe Mahashe and Zekhethelo Siyaya, while Embrose Papier, Francke Horn, Andre-Hugo Venter and Henco van Wyk also return to the alignment environment after previous involvement with the Springboks.

The squad features 10 uncapped players overall, with Erasmus making it clear that the camp is focused on building depth and preparing the next generation of Springboks for the years ahead.

“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,” said Erasmus.

“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.”

A number of senior Springboks remain sidelined through injury, but Erasmus stressed that they remain firmly in his plans moving forward.

“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.”

The Bok boss also underlined the importance of exposing younger players to the national environment early in their careers.

“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.”

The alignment camp comes ahead of a packed international calendar for the world champions. South Africa’s 2026 season kicks off with a double-header in Gqeberha on June 20, where the Springboks will face the Barbarians while an SA ‘A’ side takes on Zimbabwe.

That will be followed by Nations Championship clashes against England, Scotland and Wales on home soil, before away fixtures against Argentina, New Zealand and Australia later in the year. The Boks will then head to Europe in November for Tests against Italy, France and Ireland before concluding the campaign with the Nations Championship Finals Weekend in London.

Springbok alignment camp squad

Forwards:
Paul de Villiers, Ben-Jason Dixon, Neethling Fouche, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Salmaan Moerat, Riley Norton, Zachary Porthen, Evan Roos, Andre-Hugo Venter (DHL Stormers); Bathobele Hlekani, Francke Horn, Sibabalwe Mahashe, Asenathi Ntlabakanye (Lions); Johan Grobbelaar, Cameron Hanekom, Elrigh Louw, Wilco Louw, Ruan Nortje, Gerhard Steenekamp, Marco van Staden, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Cobus Wiese (Bulls); Siya Kolisi, Ox Nche, Emmanuel Tshituka (Sharks).

Backs:
Kurt-Lee Arendse, Canan Moodie, Embrose Papier, Handre Pollard (Bulls); Andre Esterhuizen, Zekhethelo Siyaya, Edwill van der Merwe, Grant Williams, Jaco Williams (Sharks); Quan Horn, Haashim Pead, Henco van Wyk, Morne van den Berg (Lions); Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Damian Willemse (Stormers).