Springboks camp hosts young Stormers
The Springboks camp hosted a promising young Stormers player rumoured to be on the squad’s radar for future prospects.
Recently, the Springboks confirmed their new-look management team as they begin to get the wheels in motion for the 2024 Test season, which is expected to kick off with a Test against Wales.
This will be followed by two Tests against Ireland and a one-off clash against Portugal, and particularly for that latter match, it’s expected that some newcomers could receive an opportunity in Springbok colours.
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According to TimesLive, Stormers utility back Suleiman Hartzenberg – who will start again at outside centre against the Sharks this weekend – has firmly entrenched himself on the Springbok coaches’ radar.
“Hartzenberg is part of Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus’s thinking, having been selected for the SA A side at the end of 2022 and among a new group invited to the first Springboks alignment camp of 2024,” writes veteran jouranalist Mark Keohane.
“The talent available to Erasmus is the envy of most countries, but Erasmus has made his own future more comfortable by being prepared to select teenage players, while a coach like John Dobson, at the Stormers, has always relished the idea of creating playing opportunities for the best young talent.”
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OTHER STORMERS STAR ALSO BACKED TO JOIN SPRINGBOKS
Hartzenberg, who can feature on the wing or at centre, is still just 20 years old, but there has never been any doubt about his prodigious talent.
A product of Bishop’s College, he has featured previously for the Junior Springboks and was named in the South Africa A squad for their European tour in October 2022.
Besides Hartzenberg, it’s also thought that Stormers loose forward Hacjivah Dayimani and tighthead prop Neethling Fouche could come into the Springbok mix this year.
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THE BOKS’ CONFIRMED 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 (venue TBC)
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)
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.