Springboks' alignment camp: Old faces, new faces and a kit that's a 'sore sight for eyes'

A former Springbok once said "what a sore sight for eyes” while describing an action during a Currie Cup match, butchering the actual cliche - “a sight for sore eyes”.

But that Springbok would have been on the money when describing the Springboks’ new training kit, which was the subject of many funny barbs on Monday when the team got together to start their preparations for the June-July internationals.

The Springboks take on the Barbarians on June 28 in Cape Town, before playing Test matches against Italy and Georgia in the three weeks after that.

The training kit went away from the all-green one used since 2023 to green, with a gold zig-zag stripe on the front. Mix in that with Pick n Pay’s traditional red, blue and white logo on the front, and it’s quite the sensory experience.

However, there were some pleasing sights for our eyes, with the return of key Springboks who missed most of the international campaign in 2024 because of injury and a few new faces.

It’s been more than two years since De Jager wore the green and gold jersey after missing out on the 2023 Rugby World Cup squad due to a heart condition. But he was back running around again, looking hungry to get back into international rugby.

The Springboks suffered a massive lock crisis in 2024, and having De Jager back will certainly boost their stocks and allow coach Rassie Erasmus to keep rotating aging second-row players such as the great Eben Etzebeth.

Another player keen to make up for lost time is Faf de Klerk after sitting out the majority of the 2024 season with a thigh injury sustained in the Ireland series.

There are also nine uncapped players in the group, with Marnus van der Merwe, Neethling Fouche, Asenathi Ntlabakanye, Cobus Wiese, Renzo du Plessis, Vincent Tshituka, Juarno Augustus, Ethan Hooker, and Ntokozo Makhaza in line to make their debut for the Boks this year.

Of those players, Varsity Cup star Makhaza is the only member of the squad who hasn’t had a taste of professional rugby.

Springbok Squad

Forwards: Juarno Augustus (Northampton Saints), Lood de Jager (Wild Knights), Renzo du Plessis (Lions), Jean-Luc du Preez (Sale Sharks), Pieter-Steph du Toit (Toyota Verblitz), Thomas du Toit (Bath), Eben Etzebeth (Sharks), Neethling Fouché (Stormers), Cameron Hanekom (Bulls), Jean Kleyn (Munster), Vincent Koch, Siya Kolisi (both Sharks), Wilco Louw (Bulls), Malcolm Marx (Kubota Spears), Bongi Mbonambi, Ntuthuko Mchunu (both Sharks), Salmaan Moerat (Stormers), Franco Mostert (Honda Heat), Ox Nché (Sharks), Ruan Nortje (Bulls), Asenathi Ntlabakanye (Lions), Kwagga Smith (Shizuoka Blue Revs), RG Snyman (Leinster), Gerhard Steenekamp (Bulls), Vincent Tshituka (Sharks), Marco van Staden (Bulls), Marnus van der Merwe (Scarlets), Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Bulls), Cobus Wiese (Bulls), Jasper Wiese (Urayasu D-Rocks).

Backs: Lukhanyo Am ( Sharks), Kurt-Lee Arendse (Bulls), Damian de Allende (Wild Knights), Faf de Klerk (Canon Eagles), André Esterhuizen, Aphelele Fassi (both Sharks), Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu (Stormers), Jaden Hendrikse, Jordan Hendrikse, Ethan Hooker (all Sharks), Quan Horn (Lions), Cheslin Kolbe (Tokyo Sungoliath), Jesse Kriel (Canon Eagles), Willie le Roux (Bulls), Manie Libbok (Stormers), Makazole Mapimpi (Sharks), Ntokozo Makhaza (UCT), Canan Moodie (Bulls), Handré Pollard (Leicester Tigers), Cobus Reinach (Montpellier), Morne van den Berg, Edwill van der Merwe (both Lions), Damian Willemse (Stormers), Grant Williams (Sharks).

@JohnGoliath82