Rassie Erasmus respond to why Tshituka and Makhaza invited to second Bok alignment camp.
The camps will take place in person in Cape Town for local players, and virtually for players based outside South Africa, on Thursday 22 May and Friday 23 May respectively.
Thirty-six players will attend the in-person camp, with 18 players currently plying their trade abroad in Japan and the northern hemisphere joining virtually, training schedule permitting.
Augustus, who was named the World Rugby U20 Player of the Year after a sterling performance for the Junior Boks in Georgia in 2017, has been a stand-out player for the Northampton Saints this season, while the Congolese-born Tshituka recently received his South African ID, clearing him to represent South Africa.
Makhaza, meanwhile, will join the Toyota Cheetahs for the Carling Currie Cup, after being named 2024 FNB Varsity Cup Player of the Tournament, playing for the eventual champions, the University of Cape Town.
The group include eight uncapped players – Augustus, Tshituka, Makhaza, Renzo du Plessis, Neethling Fouche, Asenathi Ntlabakanye, Marnus van der Merwe, and Cobus Wiese.
Five players, meanwhile, were not considered for the alignment camp due to injuries, namely Frans Malherbe, Elrigh Louw, Ben-Jason Dixon, Deon Fourie, and Trevor Nyakane.
The camp will include a series of boardroom sessions over the two days as the Boks gear up for the international season, which kicks off on Saturday 28 June with the first-ever home game between the Springboks and Barbarians.
This will be followed by the Castle Lager Incoming Series, the Castle Lager Rugby Championship, and the traditional end-of-the-year tour in November.
Erasmus was pleased with the quality of the group named and said: “This is an exciting bunch of players who have all made their mark in their respective competitions this season, and we are thrilled to invite a few talented new players to the camp.
“They have all made a strong statement in big competitions under immense pressure at times, so we are looking forward to working with them.”
Erasmus added: “It’s always difficult to reduce the size of the squad with the abundance of talent in South African rugby, but we were limited in the number of players we could select for the camp, and we are confident that we have sufficient cover in all positions within this group.”
This will be followed by the Castle Lager Incoming Series, the Castle Lager Rugby Championship, and the traditional end-of-the-year tour in November.
Erasmus was pleased with the quality of the group named and said: “This is an exciting bunch of players who have all made their mark in their respective competitions this season, and we are thrilled to invite a few talented new players to the camp.
“They have all made a strong statement in big competitions under immense pressure at times, so we are looking forward to working with them.”
Erasmus added: “It’s always difficult to reduce the size of the squad with the abundance of talent in South African rugby, but we were limited in the number of players we could select for the camp, and we are confident that we have sufficient cover in all positions within this group.”
