Forwards coach Rito Hlungwani says Stormers No 8 Evan Roos knows that with hard work and self-improvement, his Springbok opportunity “will eventually come again”.

Roos was a shock exclusion from Rassie Erasmus’ second national alignment camp of 2025 in Cape Town last week. 

The 54-man indaba precedes squad selection for the world champion Boks’ matches against the Barbarians, Italy and Georgia in June/July.

Roos, who played the last of his six Tests against Portugal in July 2024, has delivered performances for the Stormers this season worthy of national selection.

The 25-year-old has started nine consecutive matches and scored six tries following his January return from shoulder surgery, and is expected to feature prominently against Glasgow Warriors in Friday’s Vodacom URC quarter-final at Scotstoun.

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Speaking during a Stormers conference on Monday, Hlungwani addressed Roos’ recent absence from the Bok setup while backing him to “keep putting his hand up”.

“I think that our mindset is very simple with regards to our players – if you’re in the Springbok alignment camp, yeah, we celebrate you and are happy with you,” he told reporters.

“And if you’re not there, the best thing we can always tell you is to work harder, keep looking for improvement, and that’s the same thing we’ve sort of told Evan.

“He knows he can always be better, and that’s where his mindset is now. He’s just going to keep working and keep putting his hand up, and that opportunity will eventually come again.”

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