Senatla invited to Bok training camp
Seabelo Senatla, the current World Rugby Sevens Player of the Year, as well as fit-again Springboks such as Handré Pollard, Siya Kolisi, Frans Malherbe and Jaco Kriel, were all included in an extended Springbok training squad for the first of three camps, in Johannesburg.
The camp takes place from Sunday 5 to Tuesday 7 March and is the first of three preparations camps the Springboks will undertake as part of their plans before the start of the international season in June, when South Africa host France in a three-match Castle Lager Incoming Series.
Also included in the squad are five promising players who are earmarked for possible future Springbok involvement. They are Ox Nche (prop, Toyota Cheetahs), Joseph Dweba (hooker, Toyota Cheetahs), Hanro Liebenberg (No 8, Vodacom Bulls), Warrick Gelant (fullback, Vodacom Bulls) and Wilco Louw (prop, DHL Stormers).
All five youngsters are Junior Springboks, having represented the South Africa at various editions of the World Rugby Under-20 Championship. Four of them, Nche, Liebenberg, Gelant and Louw, featured for their franchises in the opening round of Vodacom Super Rugby the past weekend.
Players from the Cell C Sharks or Southern Kings were not considered for the Johannesburg camp, because of Vodacom Super Rugby duty in Australia and Singapore, while Emirates Lions players will leave the camp after Mondays’ activities as they are travelling with their franchise team to Argentina the following day.
Long-term injured players such as Juan de Jongh (centre), Roelof Smit (flank) and Howard Mnisi (centre) were not considered for this camp.
Springbok coach Allister Coetzee said he is very happy to start working with the extended Bok squad so early in the year.
“We did a lot of background planning and this camp will give us the opportunity to take the objectives we agreed on at the various indabas, to the training field,” said Coetzee.
“This group was selected before the start of Vodacom Super Rugby so that we could adhere to World Rugby regulations by giving notice of the camp 14 days in advance.”
SA Rugby CEO, Jurie Roux, said: “I want to thank our franchises for their cooperation and releasing their players during Vodacom Super Rugby for the three Springbok camps.
“Unfortunately, we did not have any of these camps in 2016 and we know it is very important for the players and the coaches to spend as much time together as possible before the start of the season.”
Invited players for the first Springbok camp in Johannesburg (5-7 March), in alphabetical order:
No
Name and surname
Position
Franchise
1
Nizaam Carr
Number 8
DHL Stormers
2
Uzair Cassiem
Flank
Toyota Cheetahs
3
Damian de Allende
Centre
DHL Stormers
4
Lood de Jager
Lock
Vodacom Bulls
5
Faf de Klerk
Scrumhalf
Emirates Lions
6
Ruan Dreyer
Prop
Emirates Lions
7
Jean-Luc du Plessis
Flyhalf
DHL Stormers
8
Pieter-Steph du Toit
Lock
DHL Stormers
9
Joseph Dweba*
Hooker
Toyota Cheetahs
10
Eben Etzebeth
Lock
DHL Stormers
11
Warrick Gelant*
Fullback
Vodacom Bulls
12
Lizo Gqoboka
Prop
Vodacom Bulls
13
Hanro Liebenberg*
Number 8
Vodacom Bulls
14
Travis Ismaiel
Wing
Vodacom Bulls
15
Rohan Janse van Rensburg
Centre
Emirates Lions
16
Elton Jantjies
Flyhalf
Emirates Lions
17
Siya Kolisi
Flank
DHL Stormers
18
Jaco Kriel
Flank
Emirates Lions
19
Jesse Kriel
Fullback
Vodacom Bulls
20
Wilco Louw*
Prop
DHL Stormers
21
Frans Malherbe
Prop
DHL Stormers
22
Lionel Mapoe
Centre
Emirates Lions
23
Malcolm Marx
Hooker
Emirates Lions
24
Bongi Mbonambi
Hooker
DHL Stormers
25
Teboho Mohoje
Flank
Toyota Cheetahs
26
Franco Mostert
Lock
Emirates Lions
27
Ox Nche*
Prop
Toyota Cheetahs
28
Sikhumbuzo Notshe
Number 8
DHL Stormers
29
Trevor Nyakane
Prop
Vodacom Bulls
30
Rudy Page
Scrumhalf
Vodacom Bulls
31
Sergeal Petersen
Wing
Toyota Cheetahs
32
Handré Pollard
Flyhalf
Vodacom Bulls
33
Raymond Rhule
Wing
Toyota Cheetahs
34
Seabelo Senatla
Wing
DHL Stormers
35
Jan Serfontein
Centre
Vodacom Bulls
36
RG Snyman
Lock
Vodacom Bulls
37
Jamba Ulengo
Wing
Vodacom Bulls
38
Armand van der Merwe
Hooker
Emirates Lions
39
Piet van Zyl
Scrumhalf
Vodacom Bulls
40
Francois Venter
Centre
Toyota Cheetahs
41
Warren Whiteley
Number 8
Emirates Lions
*Young Guns