The Springboks have begun preparations for the 2024 season, but reports suggest there was one surprising omission from a first camp.
As a new four-year cycle gets underway, national coaches are starting to evaluate their alternatives beyond the World Cup group, thus some fresh names were always expected in the larger Springbok team.
Rassie Erasmus reportedly called up a number of “newcomers” to a Springboks alignment camp, including the gifted Bulls No. 8 Cameron Hanekom, according to the Sunday publication Rapport.
Despite showing extremely good form throughout the first half of the URC season, Stormers loose forward Hacjivah Dayimani is reportedly not going to be a part of this first camp.
Remember that every player selected for this first camp will have been carefully chosen, and that doesn’t mean a player who is left off the roster now won’t be included in the team’s plans for later in the season.
Dayimani, 26, seems to still have enough of talent, and there are rumors that he could still make the Bok roster this season.
With his great mobility and abundance of soft talents, Dayimani has the potential to become a major player in the country if he adds a strong defense, more physicality, and a relentless work ethic.
The gifted attacker is a versatile back row player, and if he keeps up his strong play, which it has been since the beginning of the season in the URC and Europe, the Bok coaches might need to watch him in action.
It is also stated that Aphelele Fassi and Joseph Dweba were not invited to the first camp of the year.
THE SPRINGBOKS’ HOME TEST SCHEDULE FOR 2024 IS:
Saturday, 6 July: SA vs. Ireland (Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria)
Saturday, 13 July: SA vs. Ireland (Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban)
Saturday, 20 July: SA vs. Portugal (Free State Stadium, Bloemfontein)
Saturday, 31 August: SA vs. New Zealand (Emirates Airline Park, Johannesburg)
Saturday, 7 September: SA vs. New Zealand (DHL Stadium, Cape Town)
Saturday, 28 September: SA vs. Argentina (Mbombela Stadium, Nelspruit)
BIG RUGY CHAMPIONSHIP CAMPAIGN TO FOLLOW
Meanwhile, the Springboks’ away Test schedule includes two matches against the Wallabies in Australia in August, and an away match against Argentina in the Rugby Championship in September, as well as engagements in Europe in November 2024.
