- The Springboks' season is shifting into gear with two alignment camps.
- The first camp is in Durban from 10-12 April and the second in Cape Town from 1-5 May.
- Alignment camps will also be hosted for overseas-based players in England and France - between 16-25 April.
The Springboks will kick-start their preparations for the 2022 season with two alignment camps.
The first camp is scheduled for Durban from Sunday, 10 April - Tuesday, 12 April, with the second one scheduled for Cape Town from Sunday, 1 May - Thursday, 5 May.
SA Rugby said in a statement on Thursday that a selected group of players from around the country had been invited to the camps and will appear in both cities.
The governing body stressed, however, that further players could be invited to the second camp.
The purpose of the camps is to "expose players to the plans for the season and the Springbok culture".
The Boks open their international season with a three-Test home series against Wales in July, before the Rugby Championship in August and September.
The world champions will play two home Tests against the All Blacks and one against Argentina, and three away Tests - two against Australia and one against Argentina.
SA Rugby added that alignment camps would also be hosted with the overseas-based players in England and France, as well as virtual meetings, all of which will take place between Saturday, 16 April and Monday, 25 April.
?? Bok preparations for 2022 kick off on Sunday with the first of two alignment camps??? "These camps are vital as we have not played for several months"?? More here: https://t.co/IryC0VnZFO#StrongerTogether #StrongerForever pic.twitter.com/NkgALJEvum
— Springboks (@Springboks) April 7, 2022
Nienaber said the alignment camps were vital to get the players into the right frame of mind.
"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."
