For the opening round of the U20 Rugby Championship, Junior Springboks head coach Kevin Foote has selected an exciting match-23 for the clash with the Pumitas, who gave their SA U20 counterparts a tough time last year in the inaugural tournament staged in Australia.

The Junior Bok coach said that the eagerness and competition amongst squad members made selection a tough exercise.

“Our squad selection for this first game was difficult because there are so many talented guys, which speaks volumes about our depth,” said Foote.

“We’ve decided on a more settled pack – there’s only one change in the pack from our last training match against Hamilton’s, with our captain Riley Norton coming into the starting lineup after a slight injury.”

The Junior Bok starting fifteen includes the likes of Norton, Wandile Mlaba, a member of last year’s Junior Bok squad, and the 2024 SA Schools and SA U18 captain Sethu Mnebelele, amongst the forwards.

The backs feature exciting players such as Blitzbok Gino Cupido and Cheswill Jooste on the wings and Kyle Smith at flyhalf. Utility forward Batho Hlekani and outside back JC Mars are amongst the replacements who are expected to make an impact off the bench.

JUNIOR SPRINGBOKS TEAM

15 Gilermo Mentoe, 14 Cheswill Jooste, 13 Demitre Erasmus, 12 Albie Bester, 11 Gino Cupido, 10 Kyle Smith, 9 Haashim Pead, 8 Wandile Mlaba, 7 Matt Romao, 6 Thando Biyela, 5 JJ Theron, 4 Riley Norton (c), 3 Simphiwe Ngobese, 2 Sethu Mnebelele, 1 Oliver Reid.
Bench: 16 Juandre Erasmus, 17 Ranon Fouche, 18 JD Erasmus, 19 Morne Visser, 20 Batho Hlekani, 21 Ceano Everson, 22 Vusi Moyo, 23 JC Mars.

U20 Rugby Championship fixtures (Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium):
Thursday, 1 May
2pm: New Zealand vs Australia
4:10pm: Junior Boks vs Argentina
Tuesday, 6 May
2pm: New Zealand vs Argentina
4:10pm: Junior Boks vs Australia
Sunday, 11 May
2pm: Argentina vs Australia
4:10pm: Junior Boks vs New Zealand

WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE TEAM’S PROSPECTS?

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Src: TheSouthAfrican.com - https://rugga.co.za/junior-springboks/junior-springboks-team-selection-kick-off-time/