The Rassie "interviews" have begun — 49 players, 11 newcomers, and massive Tests ahead in 2026. From the explosive pace of Sebastian de Klerk to the "combat" style of Siphosethu Mnebelele, and the belligerence of Manu Tshituka, which of these uncapped stars will wear the Green and Gold first? Photo: Backpagepix
Image: Backpagepix
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A squad of 49 players begin the Springbok alignment camp in Cape Town on Monday, with 11 of them wide-eyed newcomers as coach Rassie Erasmus looks to the future, but how many of those youngsters stand a realistic chance of being capped this year?
We know from history that Rassie uses alignment camps almost as job interviews for youngsters who have shown they have Springbok potential. As busy a body as Rassie is, he can’t be expected to have personally interacted with every young player putting his hand up, and that is why he invites them to these camps.
When it comes to the Springbok culture that is so wonderfully entrenched under Rassie ‘s stewardship, and which has been at the heart of back-to-back World Cup wins, the Bok coach is a shrink of Sigmund Freud status — no player gets through the Springbok door without passing the Rassie test.
Rassie invites the lyties and checks out if they have the “warrior” demeanour that he treasures, plus the “no-ego” status that is non-negotiable. The coach could just as well put up a sign at the Springbok door dayind, “No Big Heads Allowed.”
There are 11 uncapped players who this week will undergo “interviews” with the Springbok coach.
They are prop Kai Pratt, centre Markus Muller, flank Emmanuel Tshituka, hooker Siphosethu Mnebelele, flank Paul de Villiers, lock Riley Norton, flank Bathobele Hlekani, wing Jaco Williams, wing Sebastian de Klerk, wing Cheswill Jooste and scrumhalf Haashim Pead.
Of the aforementioned, who are closest to Springbok selection?
We know from previous Springbok alignment camps that a significant number of newcomers never become Springboks.
In last year’s alignment camp, Rassie invited 16 newcomers and only four, so far, have played for South Africa.
Looking at that talented bunch and bearing in mind that the Springboks are playing 14 Tests this year and Rassie won’t want to overplay key players ahead of next year’s World Cup, who is realistically ready to step up?
The older guys naturally come to mind. If Rassie wants to grow his wing depth and give breaks to the likes of Cheslin Kolbe and Kurt-Lee Arendse, the Bulls’ Sebastian de Klerk has consistently shown that he is potentially world-class.
At 25-year-old, the former Puma week-in, week-out shoots the lights out in the United Rugby Championship. At the weekend, against the Sharks, he once more was superb. He has the talent, consistency and composure to step straight into a Springbok team.
The 23-year-old Stormers flank Paul de Villiers is another who needs little blooding. The Boks have a long queue of exceptional loose forwards, but De Villiers has something different — he is an out-and-out fetcher in the mould of the brilliant Heinrich Brusouw, the stocky openside who played such a significant role in the 2009 Springboks beating the British and Irish Lions.
But the one player that I would love to see get some airtime is the potentially generational talent that is the Paarl Gym product, Markus Muller.
The hype we have been hearing about the centre seems to have some basis — in his two years in his school’s First XV, he has scored 50 tries, some of them off the back of mauls ala hybrid Andre Esterhuizen.
If he passes the Rassie “interview”, he could well be the next Danie Gerber.
* Mike Greenaway is a senior rugby reporter at Independent Media and contributor on our Last World on Rugby podcast on our YouTube channel, The Clutch