Rassie Erasmus begins 2027 World Cup build-up as 49-man Springbok camp kicks off
SPRINGBOKS
Rassie Erasmus has called up 49 players to the first Springbok alignment camp of the year. With 11 uncapped players in the mix and a massive 14-match season ahead, the road to the 2027 World Cup starts now. Photo: Backpagepix
Image: BackpagePix
The Springboks are currently focused on their first two matches of the season — against the Barbarians and England — with planning for the remainder of the campaign still in its infancy.
With the Boks hosting their first alignment camp this week in Cape Town, head coach Rassie Erasmus has invited 49 players as he looks to introduce some new faces to the squad while also bringing some experienced campaigners back up to speed.
South Africa will play 13 Tests and an additional international match against the Barbarians this season as they put the final building blocks in place ahead of the 2027 Rugby World Cup.
Of the 49 invitees, 11 are uncapped. However, Erasmus stressed that this does not guarantee debuts this season. The primary objective is to build depth and get more players capped ahead of the global showpiece.
“We are not 100% sure how things will pan out this year,” Erasmus said at a media briefing on Monday.
“We know who we are playing in our first two games, and we are busy planning for those. They won’t be easy matches.
"One is against the Barbarians and the other against England. You know what you are going to get from England — not that I’m saying it’s going to be easy — it will be tough.
“The Barbarians are always competitive on the day, and there’s a bit of spice with Razor (Scott Robertson) and Felipe Contepomi involved as coaches. We will see how we kick off in that Barbarians game and how things unfold when we face England.
“We always say that if we keep winning, this is the team that will play next week. But if things go badly and we lose momentum, you can make changes. I can’t say whether we will use 51 players this season. Maybe it’s 57 or even 33. That all depends on how things go week by week.”
While the Nations Championship Tests in July are the Boks’ first major hurdle, their goal is to win the inaugural Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry series against New Zealand. They will face their arch-rivals in four Tests later this year — three in South Africa and one in Baltimore in the United States.
The All Blacks are currently without a head coach after parting ways with Robertson earlier this year, with Jamie Joseph or Dave Rennie expected to be announced as the new coach as early as this week.
According to Erasmus, either candidate would be capable of doing the job.
He added that the Springboks will aim to win every match this season, but if they fall out of a competition — for example, the Nations Championship — their focus will shift fully to Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry.