From SARugby.net
Vodacom Blue Bulls No 8 Hanro Liebenberg will lead the Junior Springboks at the World Rugby Under-20 Championship in Italy next month, SARU confirmed on Wednesday.
Liebenberg will skipper the 28-man squad during the three-week tournament from 2 to 20 June. He led the Junior Boks to a thrilling win over the Varsity Cup Dream Team last month and also captained them when they clinched a 2-0 series win over the Argentina Under-20 side in Rosario last Saturday.
| POS | NAME | A/G | SCHOOL | UNION |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| PR | Ox Nche | u20 | Louis Botha | Free State |
| PR | Thomas du Toit | u20 | HJS Paarl BH | Sharks |
| PR | Mzamo Majola | u20 | Westville | Sharks |
| PR | Frans van Wyk | u20 | Monument | WP |
| PR | Njabula Gumede | u20 | Maritzburg College | Blue Bulls |
| HK | Jan van der Merwe | u20 | Pretoria BH | Bulls |
| HK | Joseph Dweba | u20 | Louis Botha | Free State |
| LK | Jason Jenkins | u20 | St Albans | Blue Bulls |
| LK | Hyron Andrews | u20 | Garsfontein | Sharks |
| LK | RG Snyman | u20 | Affies | WP |
| FL | Abongile Nonkontwana | u20 | St Alban’s | Blue Bulls |
| FL | Jean-Luc du Preez | u20 | Kearsney | Sharks |
| FL | Jacques Vermeulen | u20 | Paarl Gim | WP |
| #8 | Hanro Liebenberg | u20 | Drostdy | Bulls |
| #8 | Daniel du Preez | u20 | Kearsney | Sharks |
| #8 | Rikus Bothma | u20 | Paarl Gim | WP |
| SH | Ivan van Zyl | u20 | Affies | Blue Bulls |
| SH | Marco Janse van Vuuren | u19 | Transvalia | Golden Lions |
| FH | Brandon Thomson | u20 | Ermelo | WP |
| FH | Tinus de Beer | u19 | Waterkloof | Bulls |
| CT | JT Jackson | u19 | Oakdale | Blue Bulls |
| CT | Daniel du Plessis | u20 | Paul Roos | WP |
| CT/FB | Warrick Gelant | u20 | Outeniqua | Blue Bulls |
| WG | Leolin Zas | u20 | Hermanus | WP |
| WG/FB | Grant Hermanus | u20 | Paarl Gim | WP |
| WG/FB | Khanyo Ngcukana | u20 | Rondebosch | WP |
| WG/FB | EW Viljoen | u20 | Grey College | WP |
| FB | Malcolm Jaer | u20 | Die Brandwag | EP Kings |
| LEFT OUT | ||||
| FH | Ernst Stapelberg | u20 | Framesby | WP |
| PR | Ruan Kramer | u20 | Grey College | Sharks |
| FL | CJ Velleman | u20 | Grey HS | EP Kings |
The squad, which was chosen by the national selectors, consists of 16 forwards and 12 backs, and includes six players who featured in last year’s tournament in New Zealand. Last year England edged the young South Africans by a single point in a memorable final at Eden Park in Auckland.
Jean-Luc du Preez (flank), Thomas du Toit (prop, both Cell C Sharks), Joseph Dweba (hooker, Toyota Free State Cheetahs), Abongile Nonkontwana (lock, Vodacom Blue Bulls), Jacques Vermeulen (No 8, DHL Western Province) and Warrick Gelant (fullback, Vodacom Blue Bulls, pictured) are the players who will represent the Junior Boks for a second successive year.
The Junior Springbok squad shows four changes from the touring group that returned from Argentina on Monday evening.
Lock RG Snyman (Vodacom Blue Bulls) got the nod to travel to Italy after he sat out the Los Pumitas series because of an ankle injury. WP centre EW Viljoen and Blue Bulls flyhalf Tinus de Beer, who also did not tour Argentina, were both selected for the Italian job.
The Du Preez twins, Dan and Jean-Luc, who were selected for the 2014 tournament, are also members of the 28-man squad. Dan, however, withdrew days before the team left for New Zealand last year because of a shoulder injury.
The Junior Boks will assemble on Sunday for their final training camp in Stellenbosch. They will have field sessions next Monday and Tuesday at the Paul Roos Markotter Stadium, with the capping ceremony scheduled to take place on Tuesday evening. The squad will fly out to Italy next Wednesday afternoon.
Junior Springbok coach Dawie Theron said the squad boasts a well-balanced selection.
“I think we have selected a well-balanced squad with the prospect of some really good combinations. Although we expect dry weather conditions for the tournament, we have to take into account that all our group matches will be played at night. This is where your combinations will play an important role,” explains Theron.
He added: “We have a good training camp behind us, culminating in a successful tour of Argentina. We will now conclude our preparations with two more sessions on Monday and Tuesday.”
The SA Pool B fixtures at the U20 World Championship in Italy are:
Tuesday, 2 June
20h30 – SA vs Italy (in Calvisano)
Saturday, 6 June
18h30 – SA vs Samoa (in Parma)
Wednesday, 10 June
20h30 – SA vs Australia (in Calvisano)
The Junior Springbok squad for the 2015 World Rugby Under-20 Championship in Italy:
@Ludz:
Matter of size yes.
But he probably could’ve found himself in the starting line-up if Vermeulen was unavailable.
Can’t take a whole army. Unfortunately.
@Andre T: Definitely Andre and let this be a lesson to all those talented PE kids that are doing their level best to ignore the obvious route to success – the one with the roadsign that says N2 and below it Durban 1000km
Jokes!
A few years back Dawie picked EP’s no.8 Aidon Davis at a time when EP’s junior structures still lacked a bit of credibility. Now EP are pretty much right up there with what other unions offer and EP juniors are exposed to playing at the same level as most other players their age.
@Andre T: Doubt it, think it’s a matter of size.
Just a questiion to all the experts….
Has the fact that CJ Velleman’s decision to go to EP Kings and not to one of the big unions, cost him a place in the SA u/20 squad?
@BoishaaiPa: I always wonder myself with Dawie, absolutely bleak for CJ, but he’ll be okay. If anything, it’ll drive him even more. It’s very risky going over without a fetcher though and we’ll see how it goes!
Sooo, the most important and technical position on the field and no dominant tighthead is chosen.
And anyone that argues that 1 and 3 is interchangeable obviously knows zip about the front row.
@RBugger: Do be able to have a Plan B it implies that you will have a Plan A….I am not so sure about that either!
@Vatikaki: The thing that worries me, is that we have no fetcher. We have like for like loosies in all 3 positions – 6,7,8
The Boks are lucky in that both Duane Vermeulen and Bismark are fetchers – therefore, we can accomdate like for like players in Marcel Coetzee and Willem Alberts.
Funnily enough, the best I have seen the Boks play, was in 2009 – the year we unleashed H Brussouw!
My argument is this, what does Bothma bring to the table, that CJ does not? I do not want to have a go at Bothma, he is a solid player who gives his best, but I do not feel he is as good as a CJ, he has put on so much weight since school and does not look like a loose forward, more like a hooker.
Time will tell, I still think this team is going to be very hard to beat, but really wish CJ had been in the mix just to change up the loosies – if plan A does not work, ie – running over the opposition with Doops, do we have a plan B?
No genuine fetcher in the side. I guess we’ll just have to see if that costs the baby boks. Well done to all the boys who were selected. Do your country proud !
CJ Vellaman was competing for the starting XV. Soon as Dawie decided he was going for Jacques Vermeulen and a du Preez twin in the starting side (flankers) he was always going to miss out. You can’t exactly complain about that combination.
Good thing for him is that the EP Kings will give him every opportunity to succeed. This is a minor hiccup.
@BOG:
Ek stem mos duidelik saam…
Maar feit is hulle gaan nog steeds 5 gekleurde spelers in die begin span hê. Ek werk maar net op realiteite.
Eks net bly daar is 5 van hulle wat nie een moerse burden op die begin span gaan wees nie ala Fabian Booysen
ek is regtig baie hartseer vir CJ (en die ander twee manne) se part wat so ver gekom het en sekerlik ‘n verwagting gehad het om Italie toe te gaan…. maar dis rugby, geen sekerhede.
CJ het maar net 20 minute speelkans gekry in Argentinie. Dawie glo soos sekere ander afrigters nie in ‘n fetcher, en verkies om groter baldraers te speel.
oor Rikus se insluiting gaan ek nie verder kommentaar lewer – hoop dit sal op en van die veld tot voordeel van die span wees
All in all, this is a well balanced powerful side. Obviously I am not happy that CJ did not make the cut, not sure how he missed the cut, but Bothma got it – very confusing indeed.
But that is rugby and the way it goes, this team is going to be hard to beat
@vatikaki: @vatikaki: Wat is “PD”. As dit “previously disadvantaged” is, wanneer was dit? Dit is mos O/20 hierdie? En wie se skuld dan? Moes die “disadvantages” dan nie 21 jr gelede opgehou het nie?
Toe maak Rikus dit?
@Die Ken:
Waar is hulle swak? Ek het gedink dis eintlik nogal lekker dat hulle 5 goeie PD spelers op die veld behoort te kan sit.
Weer briljante losvoorspelers.
Twee goeie opsies op losskakel en n ‘nuggety’ skrumskakel.
Twee senters met moerse potensiaal en dan nog Warrick Gelant ook – alhoewel ek hoop hulle speel hom op heelagter.
Wat ek kan sê is ek dink klomp van hierdie spelers sou ‘n beter loopbaan gehad het by ‘n ander provinsie liewer as wat hulle met 10 ander kompeteer in Pretoria.
Behalwe as die opposisie ook nie sterk spanne het nie, glo ek nie hierdie groep spelers gaan die finaal haal nie. Ja, daar kan hier en daar beter keuses daarbuite wees, maar as ‘n o/20 groep van spelers, is daar nie genoeg talent vanjaar nie. Wat ek wel glo, is dat die o/18 groep van hierdie jaar, oor 2 jaar ‘n bulgroep gaan wees.
@vatikaki: I have no problem with Thomas and Frans’s abilities as players and suspect they will probably do okay. It is just a pity that the 2 best looseheads in the team will be forced to play out of position. I have to admit that I don’t know the rest of the props, apart from Ox. I would have like to see an all out fetcher like CJ in the team,but size (right or wrong) probably came into consideration.
Kerk vol bedrog ja- satan se persoonlike gesant. Nogal, “Squad chosen by the national selectors” Bhwa hahahahahahaha !!!
@BOG: Groot kerksmens, dus
Merit, I suppose, was the one and only consideration? Yeh, and my grandfather was Pope John X
@beet:
I called his exclusion simply because with Jacques Vermeulen at openside there is no room left for a fetcher. You don’t bring an openside off the bench.
I’m 80% sure JW did go. Too long ago. Can check on sarugby website though
@beet: JW is a good kid…….I think he can easily walk into the Cheetah or Sharks team
@Andre T:
He did for a while once upon a time. I remember people asking what happened to the Affies 1st XV flyhalf.
Vati will remember if JW went to JWC in the end. I don’t think he did.
@beet: I thought he was going to pick Jonny Welthagen
@vatikaki: I for one am really disappointed that CJ Velleman has not been selected. I was looking forward to seeing what he had to offer on the international stage.
On a different note, this has probably been Dawie’s most stable build up to a JWC so far. I was so expecting a player to emerge out of the blue and be included. Maybe this is a sign that he is happier with this SA u20 squad than any he has coached before???
@Domkrag:
Both big boys, and Thomas has plenty of experience. They’ll be fine.
I came here wanting people’s opinions on CJ Velleman not making it
Abongile Nonkontwana and Dan du Preez as starting locks? Or is RG Snyman a must and Abongile too short? Few selections might depend on who starts at hooker.
Please correct me if I am wrong, but I see no recognized or specialist tighthead in the group? Looks like Thomas du Toit and Frans van Wyk will be expected to do duty on the tighthead side. Might be a gamble…
RG Snyman is not at WP as far as I remember.