RUGBY NEWS - The Springboks junior team is getting ready for the World Rugby u.20 championship which will take place in France from 30 May to 17 June.
The team's preparations will kick off with three four-day training camps in Stellenbosch, the last of which will conclude on 30 March, followed by a two-week camp in April and a UK tour in May.
They will play five internationals in the lead-up to the tournament.
The first two matches will be played in Cape Town against World Rugby u.20 championship pool opponents Georgia on back-to-back Fridays 13 and 20 April, and they will meet Scotland in Edinburgh on Friday 4 May, Wales in Cardiff on Tuesday 8 May, and England in London on Friday 11 May.
The training squad includes five capped Junior Springboks - Salmaan Moerat, Gianni Lombard, Wandisile Simelane, Rewan Kruger and Muller Uys - and 22 former SA Schools players, including prop Keagan Glade, centre Rikus Pretorius and lock JJ van der Mescht.
Let us all rally behind the Boks and show our support.
Junior Bok training squad for first camp (20-23 February):
Props: Cabous Eloff (Blue Bulls), Keagan Glade (Golden Lions), Leon Lyons (Western Province), Asenathi Ntlabakanye (Golden Lions), Sazi Sandi (Western Province), Mornay Smith (Blue Bulls), Alulutho Tshakweni (Eastern Province), Tiaan van der Merwe (Golden Lions).
Hookers: PJ Botha (Golden Lions), Schalk Erasmus (Western Province) and Fezokuhle Mbatha (Sharks).
Locks: Luyolo Dapula (Eastern Province), Ben-Jason Dixon (Western Province), Salmaan Moerat (Western Province), PJ Steenkamp (Golden Lions), JJ van der Mescht (Sharks) and Ruan Vermaak (Golden Lions).
Loose forwards: Phendulani Buthelezi (Sharks), Francke Horn (Western Province), Shaine Orderson (Western Province), Ryno Pieterse (Blue Bulls), Erwart Potgieter (Blue Bulls), JC Pretorius (Blue Bulls), Muller Uys (Western Province).
Scrumhalves: Richman Gora (Blue Bulls), Jack Hart (Golden Lions), Rewan Kruger (Free State).
Flyhalves: David Coetzer (Western Province), Lubabalo Dobela (Free State) and Johannes Steenkamp (Leopards).
Centres: Lyle Hendricks (Western Province), Rikus Pretorius (Western Province), Manuel Rass (Golden Lions), Wandisile Simelane (Golden Lions), Louritz van der Schyff (Golden Lions) and Sango Xamlashe (Free State).
Outside backs: Christian Ambadiang (Western Province), Muller du Plessis (Sharks), Tyrone Green (Golden Lions), Gianni Lombard (Golden Lions), Sihle Njezula (Western Province), Sakoyisa Makata (Western Province) and Christiaan Strydom (Blue Bulls).
ARTICLE: sarugby.co.za
