Being named for the camps does not mean players will be selected for the international season, but is a sign they are in the thinking of Erasmus and his technical team.
That is an intriguing prospect for Springboks fans with the likes of loose-forward Photo by PAUL FAITH / AFP and 18-year-old fullback Zekhethelo Siyaya named this time round.
There are a total of 10 uncapped players, including several of the victorious Under-20 squad that lifted the world championship title last year.
They are Paul de Villiers, Bathobele Hlekani, Francke Horn, Mahashe, Riley Norton, Haashim Pead, Siyaya, Emmanuel Tshituka, Van Wyk and Jaco Williams.
“This is an exciting group of players, and it's been pleasing to see them make their presence felt in the United Rugby Championship and during their teams’ Champions Cup and Challenge Cup campaigns this season,” said Erasmus.
“There are several players who are not currently fit to play, and we look forward to seeing them back in action in the near future, knowing they have a good sense of how the team operates and what will be expected of them when they return.
“This camp will be a good opportunity to expose those invited to our setup and the standards expected of the national coaches.
“It's important to be clear about the objective of this alignment camp, and that is to expose these players to our environment, our standards, and the way we operate.
“The players who will not be present, whether through injury or workload, remain in our plans, and each one of them is on his own path with his own set of timelines.
“This week will give us the chance to align those who are fit and firing now with the way we want to operate, so that when an opportunity arises either this year or further down the line, they are ready to step up and deliver at international level.”
The international season will start with a double-header in Gqeberha on June 20 when the Boks face the Barbarians and the SA ‘A’ team take on Zimbabwe, before three home matches in the Nations Championship – against England in Johannesburg (July 4), Scotland in Pretoria (July 11), and Wales in Durban (July 18).
They will then meet Argentina in Buenos Aires (August 8) and the All Blacks in four Tests in the Rugby's Greatest Rivalry series in August and September.
An away Test against the Wallabies in Australia (September 27) follows, before the second leg of the Nations Championship kicks off in Europe, with matches against Italy (November 7), France (November 13) and Ireland (November 21), ahead of the Finals Weekend in London (November 27 to 29).
Players invited to the second in-person Springbok alignment camp:
Forwards: Paul de Villiers, Ben-Jason Dixon, Neethling Fouche, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Salmaan Moerat, Riley Norton, Zachary Porthen, Evan Roos, Andre-Hugo Venter (all Stormers); Bathobele Hlekani, Francke Horn, Sibabalwe Mahashe, Asenathi Ntlabakanye (all Lions); Johan Grobbelaar, Cameron Hanekom, Elrigh Louw, Wilco Louw, Ruan Nortje, Gerhard Steenekamp, Marco van Staden, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Cobus Wiese (all Bulls); Siya Kolisi, Ox Nche, Emmanuel Tshituka (all Sharks).
Backs: Kurt-Lee Arendse, Canan Moodie, Embrose Papier, Handre Pollard (all Bulls); Andre Esterhuizen, Zekhethelo Siyaya, Edwill van der Merwe, Grant Williams, Jaco Williams (all Sharks); Quan Horn, Haashim Pead, Henco van Wyk, Morne van den Berg (all Lions); Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Damian Willemse (both Stormers).