Cape Town - The Springboks will get their preparations for the 2022 international season underway with the first of two alignment camps on Sunday.
The first one will take place in Durban until Tuesday, 12 April, while Cape Town will host the second camp from May 1 to 5.
The players that have been invited to the two camps will participate in both cities. While a selected group have already been invited, more players could be added as the Boks prepare for a big Test season.
Looking at the South African-based players alone, a great number of players have been in superb form during the United Rugby Championship, and the Boks confirmed that alignment camps will also be hosted with the overseas-based players in England and France, as well as virtual meetings, all of which will take place between April 16 and April 25.
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The camps will focus on familiarising the players with the plans for the season and the Springbok culture.
The Boks will take on Wales in the Incoming Series in three Tests in July, before they head into the Rugby Championship in August and September. This will include two home Tests against the All Blacks and one against Argentina and three away Tests – two against Australia and one against Argentina.
With the Springboks’ first Test against Wales less than three months away, Nienaber said the alignment camps are important in ensuring that all the players are on the same page before they hit official training.
“We are excited to get our season underway and these alignment camps are vital as we have not played for several months,” said Nienaber.
“These sessions will ensure that we are all on the same page on and off the field when we begin our official training sessions. Most of these activities will involve boardroom sessions where we set objectives and align in terms of our planning.
“We will host similar camps with our overseas-based players in the next few weeks, but the door is not shut for other players to be invited to the remaining camps.
“It is also important to emphasise that being invited to these camps by no means is a guarantee of selection for the Incoming Tour squad, but rather an opportunity for the players to start switching into the mind-set required for the international season.”