There is exactly one month to go until SA under-20’s first game against Scotland at the Junior World Championships in New Zealand. Helping to wrap up preparations for the tournament is the annual 3-match series against Argentina under-20. This year the matches will be held in South Africa.
In addition to this head coach Dawie Theron has stated that the matches have been set up in the same time frame. “We have scheduled the three matches on exactly the same dates as our JWC pool matches (Scotland on 2 June, New Zealand on 6 June and Samoa on 10 June). The reasoning behind that is so that we can simulate out logistics, training and recovery schedule exactly along the timeframes of our JWC schedule,” explained Theron.
The Junior Boks coach views the annual series against the South Americans as a crucial part of the squad’s overall preparation: “This series against Argentina will give us the ideal opportunity to test the strength, depth and conditioning of the squad. We will therefore strive to give playing time to as many players as possible during the series,” said Theron.
He added: “For instance, for our next match Tuesday in Stellenbosch, we will have a completely different starting line-up. That means that after the second match we would have already started with 30 players.”
According to Theron, the starting line-up for Tuesday will include various players who are involved in this weekend’s Vodacom Cup quarterfinal matches.
All seems to be falling into place except the big question of should the Vodacom Cup take preference to the JWC preparations? The team to take on Argentina contains 5 starters that are not even listed amongst the 28 set to travel to New Zealand.
Since Theron has taken charge of the Baby Boks, he has been known to make last minute changes to his squad during the preparations phase. He has even called up players who’s names did not appear on training lists in the months preceding the JWC.
The SA U20 vs Argentina u20 fixture list:
Friday, 2 May 2014
Saldana Bay Rugby Club at 16h00
Tuesday, 6 May 2014
Paul Roos Markötter Stadium, Stellenbosch at 15h00
Saturday, 10 May 2014
City Park, Cape Town, at 16h00
Team for the first game:
| South Africa Under-20 | ||
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Pierre Schoeman. | In JWC 28 player squad |
| 2 | Corniel Els | In JWC 28 player squad |
| 3 | Wilco Louw | In JWC 28 player squad |
| 4 | JD Schickerling | In JWC 28 player squad |
| 5 | Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg | In JWC 28 player squad |
| 6 | Ramone Samuels | |
| 7 | Jean Luc du Preez | In JWC 28 player squad |
| 8 | Aidon Davis | In JWC 28 player squad |
| 9 | Zee Mkhabela | In JWC 28 player squad |
| 10 | Jaco van der Walt | |
| 11 | Duhan van der Merwe | |
| 12 | Daniel du Plessis | |
| 13 | Rohan Janse van Rensburg | |
| 14 | Sergeal Petersen | In JWC 28 player squad |
| 15 | Warrick Gelant | In JWC 28 player squad |
Official 28-player squad announced a few weeks back:
| # | Posi | Name | School | Union |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Prop | Wilco Louw | Drostdy | Bulls |
| 2 | Prop | Nqoba Mxoli | Westville | Bulls |
| 3 | Prop | Pierre Schoeman | Affies | Bulls |
| 4 | Prop | Dayan van der Westhuizen | Centurion | Bulls |
| 5 | Prop | Thomas du Toit | HJS Paarl BH | Sharks |
| 6 | Hooker | Joseph Dweba | Louis Botha | Free State |
| 7 | Hooker | Corniel Els | Grey College | Bulls |
| 8 | Hooker | Malcolm Marx | KES | Lions |
| 9 | Lock | Abongile Nonkontwana | St Alban’s | Bulls |
| 10 | Lock | Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg | Affies | Bulls |
| 11 | Lock | Victor Sesekete | Queens High | Lions |
| 12 | Lock | Daniel du Preez | Kearsney | Sharks |
| 13 | Lock | JD Schickerling | Paarl Gim | WP |
| 14 | Flank | Thabo Mabuza | Centurion | Lions |
| 15 | Flank | Cyle Brink | KES | Lions |
| 16 | Flank | Jean-Luc du Preez | Kearsney | Sharks |
| 17 | No.8 | Aidon Davis | Daniel Pienaar | EP Kings |
| 18 | Scrumhalf | Mthokozisi Mkhabela | Glenwood | Free State |
| 19 | Scrumhalf | JP Smith | Queen’s | Bulls |
| 20 | Flyhalf | Jean-Luc Du Plessis | HJS Paarl BH | Sharks |
| 21 | Flyhalf | Handre Pollard | Paarl Gim | Bulls |
| 22 | Centre | Daniel Kriel | M. College | Bulls |
| 23 | Centre | Andre Esterhuizen | Klerksdorp | Sharks |
| 24 | Wing | Duncan Mathews | Swartland | Bulls |
| 25 | Wing | Sergeal Petersen | Grey High | EP Kings |
| 26 | Fullback | Warrick Gelant | Outeniqua | Bulls |
| 27 | Fullback | Jesse Kriel | M. College | Bulls |
| 28 | Fullback | Lloyd Greef | Transvalia | Leopards |
@Tjoppa: Hehehehe…a year’s supply of Mabovula meat
@Umtata: Unfortunately due to the quota system all non white players will be seen as quota. At school levels you first pick your quota players and then fill the gaps with whites. Unfortunately.
When payers are picked by a certain coach where no quota system exists and a black player gets picked in place of a also good white players everybody is screaming quota and the reverse seems now also true. Before blacks were allowed to play whites was screaming provincialism if their preferred player was not picked. So what is my message.
If you pick a team on merit there will always be remarks regarding the chosen. It is however a pity that racism is still with us 20 years after first elections and according to me a perfect carpet to hide the shortcomings of a system that force the whites and black to still “hate” each other.
As long as the politicians can divide races the majority ethnic group, can do what they want as they are certain of the vote, and need not to serve the country. They are not measured by their performance, they are still measured by the colour of their skin.
Such a beautifull country Such a pity.
@Playa: I find it hard to believe that, in a environment where winning is paramount, anyone would select the second best player based on the player’s race. Selectors and coaches are fired or re-elected based on actual results. Why would any selector/coach jeopardise his own career by not selecting the best players?
@Andre T: Vinokourov’s name in there can only mean it’s about drugs.
Once Google Translate Xhosa is up and running this will be a lot easier
Umtata’s comment:
“Agree with you Playa, I’ve been saying this for sometime, people see what they want to see, they don’t take anything else into consideration. There are players with the Boks who shouldn’t be there, but because of the team their play for or race, they are there”
@Playa: What was the bribe they offered to pay Greg?
@Andre T:
My key take-away is smirnofski…must be Russian
@Playa: Igorov ballas stroitsha tsethikov grootvoel tsaikowski ala alex vinoukourov lestatsi le lengwe fur das smirnofski hangtiete.
@Umtata: Ngqo njenge-veg!
@Playa: vumelana nawe bhuti kadala ndayi thetha lento ebantwini. Abantu bafuna obona lento bayifunayo, enye nenye abayi hoyi. Kukho abadladlali aba dlalela iBoks esiyazi uba akufanelanga uba bapha kodwa ke ngenxa ye gqhembhu okanye umbhala wabho, bapha.
@BOG: Hahahahaha!
You’d be surprised. There was a Naidoo in 1995 at Dale who was kept out of the 1st team by Greg Somerville. Stereotyping is dangerous
@Playa: To answer your question, yes, it could happen- that I would concede. Lets hope then for a few Naidoos, Reddys Padayachees and Patels in the teams and not in the backline, but among the forwards, sommer. (This may be an old one, but in case you missed it- An Indian with an erection, is called? Reddy )
@BOG: I was not around in 1975
, but the history is well documented. I totally agree with you. That is why I am against this quota system. I, like you back then, have also been attacked, called a coconut, blame being placed on my ‘Model C’ schooling etc. You can call me the BOG of the 2000s.
But where I brought my point is not the principle of selecting on merit…because we both agree on that. My view point is have you verified that the (black) guys picked in front of your favoured players are NOT picked on merit? Or do you admit that the default position (yes blame that on the government) for white people when a black player is picked in front of their favoured white player is to say that it was a political selection?
Always on merit, race or religion etc has nothing to do with it. Beast, Kolisi, de Jongh, Pietersen, Basson, Aplon, Carr & Mvovo should all make a Boks squad on merit…Carr is the only question mark, but I quite rate him…also Nyakane and others, easily half the squad…on merit!
@Playa: Simple. What I said here, I said 30 years ago. Real morality does not change with governments. Merit- nothing more, nothing less, should be the ONLY criteria for selection. If it happens to be 23 white players or 23 black players(or 23 Indians ??), so be it. Would you have questioned what I said here, if I did so in 1975? Unlikely. Well, I did, but I was not only questioned, but also attacked, by people who in all likelihood, are in a very different political camps than yourself. I shall stand on merit/honesty/principle until I die- hopefully not too soon. The word “relativity / relativism” does not exist in my vocabulary. A matter is either black or white, never gray.( Perhaps not a good expression in this instance, but Im sure you know what I mean) Until merit is the only criteria, there will always be questions.
@Playa: People are unfortunately very quick to cry quota. Agree with you there.
@Playa: Mmmmm….. Interesting blog Playa. Nice to hear a different point of view.
@BOG: I don’t agree with quotas. I think it is the absolute wrong way to go about transforming the game. It is also unfair to deserving players.That said, I also do not agree with the unfounded presumptions of people that when their preferred player(s) is/are left out of a team, they cry “quotas/racism/corruption” etc.
It goes both ways, however. There is no ways today’s Schalk Burger is better than Siya Kolisi. Granted that Siya is having a shocker of a season and deserves to chow wood, but a lot of (black) people cried racism when SB was announced captain at the begin of the season and duly overtook SK in the pecking order. Neither was Marcelle Coetzee when he was first picked for the Boks infront of Siya.There is no ways JJ Engelbrecht is better than Juan de Jongh. To go even further, the picking of Francois Hougaard at wing in front of Bjorn Basson. Mpho Mbiyozo being left out of the Kings SR team last year…the list is endless. Black people discuss that as racism around the braai stand. Mostly because we have experienced such racism in rugby…and still continue to experience it in our coaching/refereeing/management roles which we hold now after playing.
Flip the coin…Zane Jirschner in front of Gio Aplon??? Bad pick or racism??? John Smit in front of Bismarck du Plessis??? What do you call that???
My point is these may be unfounded or may actually be true, they may be race based pickings, they may not be. Maybe just a coach with his own vision and preference.
I will not pretend the unfair quota system does not exist, and you can rightfully express your views and disgust. But as I asked Vatikati the other day (and he never answered me), have you guys actually seen these ‘quota’ players play? That to me can be the only basis on which you can make such deductions. Not because you happen to have seen more of these other players (as good as they may be) due to limited exposure to them.
There are many who did not make the squad, for reasons other than rugby. And as usual, in 3-4 yrs from now, everyone will ask- ” What has happened to this or that player?” Lets not fool ourselves and give credibility to a rotten policy and/or system with such questions. They should not have been there in the first place. But my concern is more with those who were overlooked and stopped playing rugby because they became disillusioned by the corruption in the game. That is the real and true talent lost to the game. Hopefully, other countries will offer them the opportunities denied by their country of birth.
@Grasshopper:
Irrelevant.
You’d think at most 6 of those in the starting line-up will be starting for the Baby Boks in a month’s time.
Still can’t get my head around Rohan not making the squad. The guy is a line-breaker. Nice to see he’s in line to make it should someone go down injured though.
Good start, but to have 31 points scored against them is concerning!
First match 78 – 31 to the Baby Boks.