The rugby World Cup champions prepare to go again! Head coach Rassie Erasmus has called up 43 players – 19 of them are 2023 World Cup winners, and 16 are uncapped. Four are based in Japan and the rest play domestically. The first Springbok alignment camp will take place from the 4th of March in Cape Town.
The purpose of the alignment camp is for new call-ups especially to get accustomed to the Springbok camp’s way of working and a chance for the Springbok coaching and management team to get to know the new and promising young players.
Rassie Erasmus had the following to say about his new-look coaching squad, according to SuperSport: “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. 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.”
This is the team’s first time meeting since they won the Rugby World Cup in France in October 2023.
The Springboks’ next big fixtures include playing against Ireland twice in July, as well as their very first test match against Portugal on the 20th of July. They will play against the All Blacks in August and September, and against Argentina, also in September.
ESPN listed the home fixtures as follows:
South Africa’s home tests in 2024:
- July 6 vs Ireland (Pretoria)
- July 13 vs Ireland (Durban)
- July 30 vs Portugal (venue TBC)
- August 31 vs New Zealand (Johannesburg)
- September 7 vs New Zealand (Cape Town)
- September 28 vs Argentina (Nelspruit)
Exciting times for the World Champion Springbok team as new talent emerges and preparations are made to secure a match-winning team for the upcoming international test matches.
