Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus says it’s always good to have several players fighting for one position, as it helps with the team’s succession plan.
His comments come as the team is holding its first in-person alignment camp of the year in Cape Town, as the team prepares for the 2027 season.
The three-day camp started on Tuesday and is expected to conclude on Friday and comprises 49 players.
The team includes Rugby World Cup winners, and some members of the victorious 2025 Junior World Championship squad.
Briefing the media in Cape Town, Erasmus said they already have an idea of the players that will be part of the team leading to the World Cup.
“I think we’ve always said that about 18 months out from a World Cup you really know who will probably make it to next year, and who won’t.
But we know much more now than 48 or 36 months ago.
For us knowing that we’re playing top teams this year, we’re really planning.
We’ve tried some guys, and we know who can do it and who cannot,” said Erasmus.
He emphasized the importance of depth in the team, adding that there must always be five or six players per position.
“The big thing we’re trying really hard to do behind the scenes always the SA Rugby and the franchises is to make sure that there are various players in in every position.
We can afford to have five or six players go down,” explained the coach.
He however acknowledged that some of the players will not be part of the squad but are important for the team’s succession plan.
The camp includes a series of boardroom and gymnasium sessions where the national coaches will brief their players on their plans and expected standards for the season as the team prepares to build toward the 2027 Rugby World Cup, while it also offers some of the younger players valuable insight into the senior national set-up.
The Springboks will host a second alignment camp in May, which will be followed by a virtual alignment camp with 21 overseas-based players.
The team will open its international season on 20 June against the Barbarians in Gqeberha, which will be followed by home fixtures against England, Wales, Scotland, and away matches in Argentina, and New Zealand among others.
