Junior Springbok coach Chean Roux has named a 30-man squad – which includes six players from the U20 World Championship – for a tour to Georgia in November.
The tour, which will feature matches against the Georgia U19 team on Monday, 2 December and Thursday, 5 December, will replace the U18 and U19 assessment camps usually hosted by the Junior Springbok coaching staff with an eye on the selection of the Junior Springbok squad for next year’s U20 World Championship.
Jaden Hendrikse (scrumhalf), Emile van Heerden (lock), Celimpilo Gumede (loose forward), Zwelendaba Mnombo (centre), Sibusiso Sangweni (flank) and Thabiso Mdletshe (prop) are the six players who represented the Junior Springboks this year.
The squad includes another 11 players who were members of the SA Schools team that participated in the 2018 U18 International Series in the Western Cape against Wales, France and England.
‘We decided to replace the U18 and U19 assessment camps with a combined SA U19 squad that will travel to Georgia and play two matches against their national side,’ Roux said. ‘So this will serve as a fantastic opportunity for these players to prove themselves at this level.
‘This tour is essentially the springboard for our Junior Springbok programme for 2020.
‘That said, there will be opportunities for players who are not in this group to stake a claim for places in the Junior Springbok squad next year, and over and above this, we will once again host the SA Rugby Academy programme. So, while this is a good opportunity for these players, they are by no means the only ones we are looking at.
‘What is really nice about this tour is that it will expose the players to a higher level of rugby, so we can see if they are able to make their presence felt at this level, and we are pleased to see players from the Valke and Leopards, which are regarded as smaller unions, in the fold.’
The squad will gather at the Stellenbosch Academy of Sport on Sunday, 24 November to begin their preparations for the tour.
SA U19 squad:
Adrian Alberts (lock, Golden Lions), Jason Alexander (hooker, Western Province), Diego Appollis (centre, Blue Bulls), Morne Brandon (hooker, Golden Lions), Thomas Bursey (scrumhalf, Western Province), Werner Coetzee (lock, Sharks), Dewald Donald (prop, Blue Bulls), Siphekahle Dube (prop, Sharks), Werner Gouws (lock, Blue Bulls), Celimpilo Gumede (loose forward, Sharks), Jaden Hendrikse (scrumhalf, Sharks), Hanro Jacobs (prop, Sharks), Stravino Jacobs (winger, Blue Bulls), Cohen Jasper (fullback, Free State), Rynhardt Jonker (centre, Sharks), Dawid Kellerman (centre, Blue Bulls), JJ Kotze (hooker, Western Province), Muzi Manyike (centre, Golden Lions), Thabiso Mdletshe (prop, Sharks), Zwelendaba Mnombo (centre, Western Province), Juan Mostert (flyhalf, Western Province), Benele Mthenjane (prop, Golden Lions), Lunga Ncube (lock, Sharks), Thabo Ndimande (flank, Valke), Evan Roos (loose forward, Sharks), Sibusiso Sangweni (flank, Golden Lions), Keenan Twigg (wing, Leopards), Bernard van der Linde (scrumhalf, Blue Bulls), Emile van Heerden (lock, Sharks), Ethan Wentzel (flyhalf, Valke).
Photo: Gallo Images
