Latest news with #JuniorBoks
IOL News
5 hours ago
- Sport
- IOL News
Five players to watch as Junior Springboks gear up for Currie Cup challenge
Scrumhalf Haashim Pead, who starred for the Junior Boks at the World Rugby U20 Championship, will be one of the players looking to make it at senior level should he get an extended run at the Lions in the Currie Cup this season. Image: Maurilio Boldrini / World Rugby After their success at the World Rugby U20 Championship, several Junior Springboks will get a well-deserved break, but then it is straight back into the Currie Cup at their respective unions. While the tournament, kicking off this weekend, is not as prestigious as in previous years, the developmental aspect of it could aid some of the U20 players taking part. This will be a perfect platform from which they can launch their senior careers, looking at cracking a nod at their United Rugby Championship (URC) franchises. We look at five players who must take the next step in their careers. Haashim Pead (Lions) The Junior Bok vice-captain could be the perfect understudy to Springbok Morné van den Berg when it comes to the URC. For that to happen, the Lions must back him in the Currie Cup and give him as many minutes as possible to find his feet. Pead has the pedigree to become great at the union, but it will all depend on how they utilise him. His instinctive plays will suit the Lions' game. He is quick behind the breakdown, and Pead has this ability to see space that few scrumhalves in South Africa possess. His kicking game will also benefit from senior rugby. Batho Hlekani (Sharks) Hopefully, the Durban side will have a proper plan and pathway for his special talent after showing off his all-around skills in the U20 Championship. Hlekani was the physical heartbeat of the Baby Boks. But he is not just a strong defender, although the opposition felt his hard hits right through the tournament, Hlekani is also a strong ball carrier. While he knows how to take the ball up into tackles with his direct plays, he also has a keen eye for gaps and a great turn of pace. Vusi Moyo (Sharks) Another young South African flyhalf with a good all-round game. He was running the attacking show of the Junior Boks alongside Pead and looked to be in total control when it came to spreading the ball down the backline or taking it up himself. Moyo can be physical too and doesn't back down from the dirty work in contact. He compliments that attacking gameplay well with his kicking and he looks so calm with the ball in hand or when putting it up in the sky. The real test will come when he plays against seasoned Currie Cup players. Cheswill Jooste (Bulls) He's been likened to Springbok winger Cheslin Kolbe for his pace and stepping exploits during the tournament, and the way he scored tries, chased high kicks, and sidestepped opponents showed why he was one of the stars of the side. The Bulls' game will suit Jooste and the players around him should be able to get him into space whenever he gets a run for the side. He ran circles around his opposition in Italy, but must now step it up against some of his teammates who know him and other more experienced wings in the tournament. Riley Norton (Western Province) A leader of men and Western Province will have to look after their Junior Springbok-winning captain in the future. While they have some big names when it comes to the lock position, it will be crucial to get Norton involved in their campaign. Alongside Hlekani, Norton led the physical charge of the team throughout the tournament. However, his leadership qualities and how he kept his team calm and fighting stood out. He leads by example when it comes to the physical things on the field and a campaign against hardened senior players will stand him in good stead.
The Citizen
7 hours ago
- Sport
- The Citizen
'Johan will do well at Bulls' – Foote hails Ackermann's impact at U20s
Johan Ackermann's advisory role with the Junior Boks has come to a triumphant end, as he moves on to coaching the Bulls. Junior Springbok coach Kevin Foote believes incoming Bulls head coach Johan Ackermann will produce the goods and lead the team to new heights, after his successful stint with the national U20 team which ended in World Championship glory. The former Lions coach, who also coached in England and Japan over the past seven years, was brought into the Junior Bok setup late last year as a coaching consultant, lending his considerable experience to the junior side since. The South African Rugby Union was reportedly so impressed by Ackermann's work that they had already asked him to consider staying on, but the lure of coaching one of the country's top franchise teams was too much and he accepted the Bulls' offer. 'He's a brilliant coach' After the World Rugby U20 Championship final on Saturday, Foote was asked about the impact Ackermann had on the junior side's success, and he claimed that it was huge. 'I can't speak more highly about Johan Ackermann. He's a brilliant coach. He coaches so well technically, but he is also a cultural coach. He's so good for our environment, he knows when to smile, sometimes he's dancing, sometimes he's serious,' said Foote. 'He gets the balance right and I think the fitness and love he showed to our forward pack in particular and brought these guys up with Mushie (Junior Bok forwards coach Lumumba Currie) was fantastic. 'Johan is going to do very well at the Bulls. He's just a good person and good things happen to good people. So in my opinion Johan had a massive impact on our (successful) campaign.' Stepping up to senior level With the Junior Bok players having now arrived back in SA from the World Champs in Italy, it will be interesting to see how many of them will be able to make the step up into senior rugby going forward. With the Currie Cup kicking off it will be a great chance for some of them to get some good experience, and the Bulls have already announced that five Junior Boks – Siphosethu Mnebelele, Jaco Grobbelaar, JJ Theron, Cheswill Jooste and Demitre Erasmus – are in their squad for the competition. 'I actually think quite a lot of them could make the step up. Once you put these guys in the right environment they will flourish,' said Foote. 'Riley (Norton, Junior Bok captain) as a case in point, he finished school last year, he plays in the tight five and he now captains us. He is still going to be with us next year. 'So I believe this is such a talented group and in the right environment they will kick on. I think you are going to see a lot of these names going forward for South African rugby and in the URC.'
The Herald
13 hours ago
- Sport
- The Herald
‘Proud day for rugby in SA': world champ Junior Boks welcomed back
'Appointing a head coach in Kevin, who has franchise experience, was also an important part of the progress this group have shown and I would like to commend him, his back-room team and the high-performance department at SA Rugby for what they have achieved in such a short space of time.' The Junior Boks last won the title in 2012 with a home victory over the same opponents in Cape Town but had had a long wait for a repeat success, having not appeared in another final since 2014. This time the team showed great composure in cruising to the final with commanding victories over Australia (73-12), England (32-22) and Scotland (73-14) in the pool stages, and Argentina (48-24) in the semifinals. They led in the final from the third minute and tries by Xola Nyali and Gilermo Mentoe and 13 points from the boot of Vusi Moyo secured a famous victory. Moyo finished the tournament as the top points' scorer with 63, while scrumhalf Haashim Pead scored six tries, placing him second for the most five-pointers behind Georgia's Mikheili Shioshvili (seven). SA Rugby media
IOL News
a day ago
- Sport
- IOL News
Junior Springbok coach Kevin Foote still in 'pinch me, wake me up' land after historic U20 triumph
The Junior Springboks and their coaching staff celebrate winning the World Rugby U20 Championship on Saturday in Italy. Image: Maurilio Boldrini / World Rugby Junior Springbok head coach Kevin Foote says he must still pinch himself at what the team achieved as they arrived back in South Africa with the World Rugby Under-20 Championship title. The Baby Boks defeated the Junior All Blacks 25-13 in the final on Saturday in Italy to claim a second title after years of coming close. Foote and his fellow coaches led the team to a first victory in 13 years. The coach said on Monday, as the team arrived back home, that the feeling of what they've achieved, still comes and goes, although it has not fully sunk in yet. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ 'Sometimes the feeling is you can't believe it, and then you settle down and come here and see the people. It is special,' Foote said. 'For now, it doesn't feel real. It feels like a dream. We didn't focus too much on not having won the tournament in a while, because that adds pressure. We had a tough pool and that was enough pressure. 'There was England, the defending champions, we had to beat. Australia beat us in the U20 Rugby Championship, and Scotland were three points behind England in the Six Nations U20. We wanted to ensure that our pool games went well. Cheering fans flocked to the airport to welcome home the triumphant #JuniorBoks on Monday, with Mr Mark Alexander saying: 'Many of them have the potential to go on to higher honours, I am sure' - more here: 🏆#JourneyToGreatness #WorldRugbyU20s — SA Junior Rugby (@SAJuniorRugby) July 21, 2025 'Our last message before that final to them was if you can be anything in the world, be yourself, and they played incredible rugby.' Foote said the Southern Hemisphere tournament prepped them well for what awaited in Italy. While they lost to teams like the Junior All Blacks and the Aussies in Gqeberha, it allowed them to experiment with team selections to fine-tune their best squad for the U20 Championship. Even when the Junior Boks kept changing their players for certain matches, the previous experience of playing together ensured they didn't lose continuity during the tournament. The Junior Bok coach is hopeful that his players can kick on from this major victory to make a name for themselves on the senior stage. Plenty of them will receive an opportunity during the upcoming Currie Cup for their respective franchises. The Junior Boks get their try ⚡ Haashim Pead spots the space and Jaco Williams finishes it off 💪💪#SSRugby | #WorldRugbyU20s — SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) July 19, 2025 Speedsters Cheswill Jooste and Demitre Erasmus are signed up for the Bulls, while Junior Bok captain Riley Norton and centre Gino Cupido could feature for Western Province somewhere in the next couple of weeks. 'My hope for these players now is that they stay in the fight. They all have dreams to play for the Springboks. But the reality is that there will be a lot of players who never get the opportunity. They also have dreams to play in the United Rugby Championship. 'They must just keep believing in what they have done. If they do that, there will be plenty of names you'll see in the future.'
The Citizen
a day ago
- Sport
- The Citizen
U20 champions of the rugby world, Junior Boks are back in SA
The under-20 team beat New Zealand in the final in Italy at the weekend, to win their first title in 13 years. Junior Boks captain Riley Norton shows off the U20 Championship trophy to fans at OR Tambo International airport on Monday. Picture: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images The all-conquering Junior Springboks have returned home from Italy where they won the World Rugby U20 Championship on Saturday, by beating their New Zealand counterparts 23-15 in the final. Kevin Foote's team went unbeaten in the tournament. They recorded good wins against Australia, England and Scotland in pool play and then triumphed against Argentina in the semi-finals. It was South Africa's first win at under-20 level in 13 years. A small group of cheering fans welcomed the players and coaches back to South Africa on Monday morning. 'This is a very proud day for rugby in South Africa, and I would like to congratulate Kevin and the team on an outstanding performance in the tournament,' said Mark Alexander, the president of the SA Rugby Union. 'The group have been welded into a formidable unit over the course of this year and many of them have the potential to go on to higher honours, I am sure. 'Their victory is a tribute to all the hard work done at high school level by educators and coaches, and at our provincial unions from whom these players are drawn. 'Appointing a head coach in Kevin, who has franchise experience, was also an important part of the progress this group have shown, and I would like to commend him, his backroom team, and the High Performance Department at SA Rugby for what they have achieved in such a short space of time.' Fans interact with Junior Boks players at their arrival in the country on Monday morning. Picture: Sydney Seshibedi/Gallo Images Play at a higher level Junior Boks flyhalf Vusi Moyo finished the tournament as the top points' scorer with 63, while Haashim Pead scored six tries, placing him second for the most five-pointers behind Georgia's Mikheili Shioshvili (7). Foote said after the final in Rovigo on Saturday, a number of the under-20 players should now be considered for senior duty in the Currie Cup and possibly even the United Rugby Championship next season. 'I actually think quite a lot of them could make the step up. Once you put these guys in the right environment they will flourish,' said Foote. 'This is such a talented group and in the right environment they will kick on. I think you are going to see a lot of these names going forward for South African rugby and in the URC.'
