Rassie is preparing Springbok hopefuls for ‘smooth transition’

YOUNG stars Damian Willemse and Aphiwe Dyantyi are among 22 players from the Stormers and Lions who’ll attend the second Springbok “alignment” camp in Vanderbijlpark next week, from Sunday to Wednesday.

New Bok boss Rassie Erasmus and his management team are using the three camps to accelerate preparations for the home June Test series against England. The first camp, which involved only invited Bulls players, wrapped up yesterday, also in Vanderbijlpark. The third camp will be held in Durban from April 22-25 and will involve the Sharks players.

Erasmus has also included the injured Ruan Combrinck, Warren Whiteley, Eben Etzebeth, Frans Malherbe and Bongi Mbonambi in the discussions next week. Rookie Stormers flank Cobus Wiese is also among the chosen men.

Some of the surprise “omissions” include Lions flank Kwagga Smith, who has given up this month’s Commonwealth Games and his immediate Sevens future to focus on 15s rugby and his desire to play for the Boks, centres Rohan Janse van Rensburg and Harold Vorster, experienced prop Jacques van Rooyen and scrumhalf

Ross Cronjé.

Among the Stormers not seemingly in Erasmus’s plans at this stage are backs Dillyn Leyds and Raymond Rhule, both of whom featured for the Boks under former coach Allister Coetzee. There are no on-field activities during the camps and the focus of the various indoor sessions is exclusively on alignment, which will ensure a smooth transition from Super Rugby franchise teams to the Boks when the squad gets together for the June Tests.

“The success of the June Tests will be determined by how the Springbok coaching staff and the players follow through on what was agreed upon at the camps when the players are back at their franchise teams,” said Erasmus.

The Boks’ first Test under Erasmus is against Wales in Washington on

June 2.

Cyle Brink (flank, Lions), Nizaam Carr (loose forward, Stormers), Ruan Dreyer (prop, Lions), Pieter-Steph du Toit (lock, Stormers), Eben Etzebeth (lock, Stormers), Steven Kitshoff (prop, Stormers), Siya

Kolisi (flank, Stormers), Wilco Louw (prop, Stormers), Malcolm Marx (hooker, Lions), Frans Malherbe (prop, Stormers), Bongi Mbonambi (hooker, Stormers), Franco Mostert (lock, Lions), Sikumbuzo Notshe (looseforward, Stormers), Cobus Wiese (flank, Stormers), Warren Whiteley (No 8, Lions)

Andries Coetzee (fullback, Lions), Ruan Combrinck (wing, Lions), Damian de Allende (centre, Stormers), Aphiwe Dyantyi (wing, Lions), Elton Jantjies (flyhalf, Lions), Lionel Mapoe (centre, Lions), Damian Willemse (flyhalf, Stormers)