VIDEO: Nemo's tips for aspiring Boks
Springbok loose forward Nizaam Carr had a special message for the young Bulls players selected for the 43-man Bok alignment camp.
Bok coach Rassie Erasmus invited 12 Bulls players to attend the two-day alignment camp in Cape Town next month.
The 2023 World Cup winners Kurt-Lee Arendse, Willie le Roux, Marco van Staden and Canan Moodie will all be at the camp, while capped Springboks Wilco Louw, Elrigh Louw, Gerhard Steenekamp, and Ruan Nortje also got a nod.
Cameron Hanekom, Mpilo Gumede, Johan Grobbelaar and Jan-Hendrik Wessels are the newcomers who will get their first experience of the national team structures.
*Article continues below…
While the camp does not indicate that a player is bound to get a Springboks call-up, just being selected is a major boost for the players, especially the new crop of aspiring players.
And a feat, the five-test cap Nizaam Carr said should be cherished.
“A lot of the guys remind me of a younger Nemo [Carr’s nickname],” the formers Stormers loose forward said.
“No.1: Never take anything for granted. I always talk to them about the injury that happened to me in 2012, when I tore my ACL.
“I had everything going well for me. Things were nice, I was getting paid well and several teams were interested in me and then just like that the injury happened.
“Suddenly, I fell way down the pecking order and had to work my way up.
“The new players are here to learn from us, they don’t have to experience things like that themselves.”
The 32-year-old urged the young players to work hard and just be patient with themselves.
“They should stay calm and not get over-excited because everything will pass,” Carr said.
“Try to do your best, when you train, don’t take it for granted when you’re in the gym and you might be tired when you don’t want to do it, that’s when you get better.
“Hard work is all that it takes. The most important thing is to stay calm, and everything will come to you at the right time.
“Not a day late or a day earlier, at the right time, it’ll come for you.”
Teams represented in Bok camp
Bulls – 12: Johan Grobbelaar, Celimpilo Gumede, Cameron Hanekom, Elrigh Louw, Wilco Louw, Ruan Nortje, Gerhard Steenekamp, Marco van Staden, Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Kurt-Lee Arendse, Willie le Roux, Canan Moodie
Cheetahs – one: Marnus van der Merwe
Lions – six: Ruan Venter, Jordan Hendrikse, Quan Horn, Sanele Nohamba, Morne van den Berg, Henco van Wyk
Stormers – 11: Neethling Fouche, Andre-Hugo Venter, Frans Malherbe, Salmaan Moerat, Evan Roos, Ruben van Heerden, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Suleiman Hartzenberg, Herschel Jantjies, Manie Libbok, Damian Willemse
Sharks – nine: Eben Etzebeth, Vincent Koch, Bongi Mbonambi, Ntuthuko Mchunu, Ox Nche, Lukhanyo Am, Jaden Hendrikse, Makazole Mapimpi, Grant Williams
Japan-based players – four: Malcolm Marx, Kwagga Smith, Faf de Klerk, Jesse Kriel
