OPINION: Why Bok Alignment Camps Test the “Intangibles” of Existing & Future Superstars

The first Springbok alignment camps for 2025 were recently announced, with some interesting inclusions (and omissions) in the 54 player-group. While many will have opinions on who should be in and who shouldn’t, it’s fair to give Rassie Erasmus and the coaching staff the benefit of the doubt when it comes to knowing who should be included.

Firstly, the alignment camps, as we’ve come to know, are purely a starting point to touch base with the existing core Bok squad, and some newcomers, to, well, align. It’s much more an orientation and overarching strategic session rather than a training squad prepping for a particular Test match or series.

This is evident due to the fact that the Japanese, French, Irish, and English-based players are joining ‘virtually’, and will have to engage and learn via video calls, where the other players will get an opportunity to do in-person activities and interact with the coaches directly.

My speculation is that as much of an opportunity as the alignment camps are to get earmarked and stalwart players back into the system as early as possible, it’s also a chance for the Bok coaching staff to suss players out on the intangibles. The question of whether or not the men there are good rugby players is moot. What matters is: does the player train well? Does he get along well with others? Are there any ego problems that may arise? How does he do in a gym environment? Does he listen to instructions well?

These are some things that players, within reason, can ‘get away’ with in the club-level game, but in an elite set-up like the Springboks, everyone needs to be on the same page. We’ve seen this time and time again with certain players who have come into the fold, only to be quietly let go shortly after. As Rassie Erasmus has said before, “We get the right people, not the best.”

That’s not to say all those instances where this has happened were due to an attitude problem or something else that caused the coaches to turn their noses up at a player. They may have just not fit in with the rest of the core group. That happens.

For example, during the last World Cup cycle, if you didn’t get along (or at least cooperate begrudgingly) with the likes of Owen Farrell, Jamie George, or Maro Itoje, it’s almost a certainty you wouldn’t get picked for England. There’s no doubt that the Springbok situation has similar dynamics at play, and likely for the betterment of the team.

Alternatively, it’s clear that Rassie Erasmus is all about team cohesion. You can be a superstar individual with the best skills in town, but if you don’t operate well with team strategies and adapt to changing instructions, it’s likely that you won’t be seen as an integral piece of the puzzle. Since the 2019 and subsequent 2023 World Cup victories, the Springboks have become greater than the sum of their parts, and there’s no doubt that Rassie wants players who can contribute to that greater goal.

One of the standout inclusions in this squad has been Varsity Cup star Ntokozo Makhaza, who has had a sublime season with UCT so far; but even with the hype, seeing his name on the squad-list without even playing a senior “professional” game of rugby, is equally amazing and bizarre. There’s no question as to whether Makhaza will become a great rugby player — he already is, scoring 32 points in the final against Maties is no easy task. But I believe his involvement is more for Rassie and Co. to observe and report on these intangibles, assessing his nuances, his temperament, and how he integrates with the other players.

The point of this article is not to say who should and shouldn’t be there — it’s to highlight that there are a lot of other ‘attributes’ that are taken into account when you’re being assessed for a potential Springbok role. All of the players who are on the tail-end of every Bok fan’s “you know who should be included…” are obviously all good players, hence the comment itself. It’s whether they make up a piece of the bigger Bok puzzle.