When the call from Rassie Erasmus came, Paul de Villiers felt the surge of adrenaline that every South African rugby player dreams of. The Stormers loose forward has bulldozed his way into the national conversation, and now he has a seat at the Springbok table.
De Villiers has been one of the sharpest blades in the Stormers pack this season, carving up collisions in the United Rugby Championship and the Investec Champions Cup. His campaign has been littered with Man of the Match awards and bruised opponents left in his wake. That form earned him inclusion in a 49-man Springbok alignment squad that will gather from 3 to 6 March as the coaches lay the foundations for 2026.
The group reads like a blend of battle-hardened generals and ambitious lieutenants. Fourteen World Cup winners return to the fold, including tighthead pillar Frans Malherbe, back in the national frame after back and neck injuries sidelined him since the 2023 global final. Five current Junior Boks add fresh legs and bright-eyed ambition to the mix.
For De Villiers, it’s an opportunity that he has to grab with both hands.
“I’m very excited and a bit nervous as well,” he told SARugbymag.co.za. “I do realise that it’s only a foot in the door, and it doesn’t mean that everyone in the group will get to play.
“But to be there is obviously nice to know that they see you and that the work you’ve done is being acknowledged. The hard work starts now.”
The 25-year-old has built his reputation the old-fashioned way, through graft in the trenches. He is the type of forward who treats every ruck like a personal contest and every carry like a challenge thrown down. His game has grown beyond industriousness, with an uncanny knack for arriving and poaching the ball at the breakdowns at decisive moments when the scoreboard tightens and lungs burn.
The alignment camp offers immersion in the Springbok blueprint, from tactical frameworks to the unforgiving standards that define the green and gold. It is a testing ground where reputations are weighed against intensity and detail.
“To be part of it is awesome, but to stay there is probably the most important and it’s going to be the only way of getting a debut and becoming a Springbok for the long-term,” De Villiers said.
“That’s obviously been the goal for as long as I can remember. I’ll probably become a better player out of it.”
For now, De Villiers stands at the base of a mountain many have climbed and many have slipped from. The door has opened. What he does next will determine whether he walks through it or watches it close.
Players Invited to the first Springbok Alignment Camp
Forwards
Eben Etzebeth, Siya Kolisi, Ox Nche, Kai Pratt, Emmanuel Tshituka, Vincent Tshituka (Sharks)
Johan Grobbelaar, Cameron Hanekom, Elrigh Louw, Wilco Louw, Siphosethu Mnebebele, Ruan Nortje, Gerhard Steenekamp, Marco van Staden, Cobus Wiese, Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Bulls)
Paul de Villiers, Ben-Jason Dixon, Neethling Fouche, Frans Malherbe, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Salmaan Moerat, Riley Norton, Zachary Porthen, Evan Roos (Stormers)
Bathobele Hlekani, Asenathi Ntlabakanye, Ruan Venter (Lions)
Backs
Andre Esterhuizen, Aphelele Fassi, Jaden Hendrikse, Jordan Hendrikse, Ethan Hooker, Makazole Mapimpi, Edwill van der Merwe, Grant Williams, Jaco Williams (Sharks)
Kurt-Lee Arendse, Sebastian de Klerk, Cheswill Jooste, Canan Moodie, Handre Pollard (Bulls)
Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Markus Muller, Cobus Reinach, Damian Willemse (Stormers)
Quan Horn, Haashim Pead, Morne van den Berg (Lions)
