Junior Springbok head coach Kevin Foote has made sweeping rotational changes to his side for their opening-round clash of the SA Rugby Under-20 International Series against Chile at Rondebosch Boys’ High School in Cape Town on Thursday.
The match kicks off at 3pm and will be preceded by the clash between Fiji and Georgia at 1pm. Both encounters will be broadcast live on YoutTube.
Only eight members of the match-23 that were named to face New Zealand in the closing encounter of the Under-20 Rugby Championship in Gqeberha, have been retained for the clash against Chile.
The are former SA Schools ‘A’ captain Risima Khosa (flanker), who will lead the side on Thursday, Luan van der Berg (prop), Mahle Sithole (hooker), JD Hattingh (lock), Jayden Brits (scrumhalf), Vusi Moyo (flyhalf), Jade Muller (wing), and Akhahluwa Boqwana (fullback).
Foote explained that the changes are aimed at building squad depth and giving more players in the Junior Bok training group the opportunity to gain valuable international experience.
“We are giving players who were not heavily involved in the Rugby Championship an opportunity to play and gain experience of international rugby,” said Foote.
“They worked hard during training over the past week and now have a great opportunity to showcase their skills while representing our country.
“This series also presents another opportunity for us to continue our growth as a team and to build cohesion as we progress with our preparations for next month’s Junior World Championship in Georgia. We expect Chile to be a gritty and motivated opponent.”
Foote added that the SA U20 players are eager to make the most of the occasion: “We are very grateful for another opportunity to represent our country and to play in front of our passionate South African supporters. The players are excited about the tournament and are looking forward to Thursday’s opening match.”
Junior Springbok team to face Chile in Cape Town:
15 Alzeadon Felix14 Jade Muller
13 Olunje Mehlomakulu
12 Pieter van der Merwe
11 Lindsey Jansen
10 Vusi Moyo
9 Jayden Brits
8 Vuyo Gwiji
7 Gert Kemp
6 Risima Khosa (captain)
5 JD Hattingh
4 Jaythen Orange
3 Luan van der Berg
2 Mahle Sithole
1 Jordan Jooste
Replacements:
16 Altus Rabe
17 Kai Pratt
18 Bongani Dlamini
19 Thomas Beling
20 Quintin Potgieter
21 Jandrian Goosen
22 Junaide Stuart
23 Akhahluwa Boqwana