Hot-stepping Springbok speedster Cheslin Kolbe became the first backline player since 2013 to take the prestigious SA Rugby Men’s Player of the Year title at a glittering SA Rugby Awards ceremony at the International Convention Centre in Cape Town on Thursday evening, while Nadine Roos took home the top women’s award for a second time.

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus wrapped up their first alignment camp of the year saying two of the key takeouts from the sessions hosted in the last few days were the encouraging dynamics between the younger and older players, and his plan to use the skillset of all the coaches and management team members to contribute to a well-oiled machine on the field.

Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus expressed his satisfaction on Tuesday with the strong start to the first Bok alignment camp of the year following a productive coaches workshop over the weekend and the arrival of the invited players in the Mother City on Monday night, where the focus was placed on laying a solid foundation for the 2025 season.

International rugby will return to Bloemfontein when Georgia’s national team take on the Toyota Cheetahs on 12 July, a week before their Test against the Springboks in Nelspruit.

The Springboks are planning for a very full international season which can include up to 15 matches – the most in a single season for the men in green and gold since 2007 – which will provide national coach Rassie Erasmus the opportunity to test players and increase the depth at their disposal with the 2027 Rugby World Cup in Australia in mind, and beyond that.

The Springboks will return to the Eastern Cape for the first time since 2021 when they take on Italy at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in the second Test of the Incoming Series in July, with SA Rugby confirming the venues of the six local Tests on Thursday.

The Springboks face a challenging end-of-year tour in Europe as part of the Autumn Nations Series, with tough matches against France and Ireland.

The Springboks will get the wheels in motion for the 2025 season when Rassie Erasmus and his management team host the first in-person coaches’ strategic session of the year followed by a three-day alignment camp with a group of 56 domestic players in Cape Town next month.

The Springboks will wrap up their 2025 Castle Lager Rugby Championship campaign with an exciting fixture against Argentina at the Allianz Stadium, Twickenham, in London on Saturday, 4 October, in what marks the teams’ first encounter in the southern hemisphere showpiece on neutral territory.