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The Citizen
12-05-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Junior Boks aim to gain from U20 Rugby Championship pain
Head coach Kevin Foote and skipper Riley Norton say the Junior Springboks can take key lessons from a tough home tournament for the U20 World Championship next month. The South Africans fell short in their bid to capture The U20 Rugby Championship in the republic when they lost 48-45 to New Zealand at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha yesterday. The hosts beat Argentina in fine style their opener, before going down to Australia and New Zealand. But Foote said the players can take huge positives from their courageous effort against the young Kiwis. 'There are a lot of positives to take from that performance; we are on a massive journey together and I've only met Riley Norton and the guys back in November, so we are definitely working hard on our game model and principles which everyone understands now,' he told reporters post-match. 'From a character and leadership perspective, we are in a good place, and the lessons we learnt will be of huge benefit as we approach the U20 Championship next month in Italy. 'I think Melusi (Mthethwa, the team's backline coach) has done a great job in terms of our attack and I really feel that the players have clarity on how we want to play,' Foote added. 'We played some exciting and brilliant attacking rugby during the tournament and just to hear the crowd get behind us when we started to light it up was exceptional. 'We know we are not the finished product, and we know we have a lot of work to do, but I do think our attack has come a long way and the guys are loving the way we are attacking.' Foote said the SA U20 coaching staff are keen to send some players back to their provincial unions to play in the SA Rugby U21 Cup competition: 'We will take it case by case, but some players will go back to their provinces to play in the U21 competition. 'It's a strong competition and the players are well-coached there, and we are keen for them to keep going. There will be some whose load we will have to manage, but we will do our medicals and take it case by case.' Norton, who started all three of the Junior Boks' games of the competition, praised the players' efforts, on and off the field. 'To have played these high-pressure games against such quality opposition before the World Champs is going to be vital for us,' he said. 'The lessons we learnt, the connections and relationships we have managed to build, not only on the field but off-field as well, and the trust we managed to create, are extremely important to us.' The post Junior Boks aim to gain from U20 Champs pain appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
IOL News
05-05-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
Coaches shake up line-ups as Junior Springboks face Australia U20s
The Junior Springboks matchday 23 that will face Australia in Gqeberha on Tuesday. Photo: SA Junior Rugby on X Image: Photo: SA Junior Rugby on X The Junior Springboks and Australia Under-20 team will be hardly recognisable from the sides that opened their Rugby Championship Under-20 campaign at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha, with both coaches ringing the changes for Tuesday's match. Junior Springbok coach Kevin Foote has made several rotational changes to his starting line-up and included four players who played for the SA U20 side last year. The SA U20s managed to beat Argentina 36-25 in the opening round on Thursday, having trailed at half-time. Australia forced a late draw against New Zealand, scoring the equallising try after the hooter had sounded Foote has handed starts to JC Mars, Wandile Mlaba, Batho Hlekani and Herman Lubbe, all of whom played for the Junior Boks last year. Scrumhalf Hashim Pead, the scorer of two tries against Los Pumitas, is rested. The SA U20 coach said it is important to keep their momentum going, manage the load of the players while also building squad depth by giving the players exposure to international rugby. 'We play three internationals against quality teams in just 11 days, and with the short turnaround time between matches, we must be smart with our player load management," Foote said. 'We have good squad depth and it's important for the players to get a taste of international rugby, while we also want to build on our performance against Argentina, knowing that Australia will pose a huge challenge for us.' Australia U20s coach Chris Whitaker made eight changes to the starting side that drew with New Zealand U20s as both injury cover and to add more bulk, opting for a new-look backline. "There are a couple of forced changes but we've also picked a bit of size up front, two second rowers on the bench," he told "We've picked a five-eighth (flyhalf) with a big kicking game. There's some tactical changes, but it's also about giving some guys some opportunities. "The Boks, they're a big pack, very physical. We need to take our opportunities, be really solid around the contact area, be really accurate, and take our opportunities when they come." In the Junior Bok front-row, Simphiwe Ngobese and Lubbe will pack down as props on either side of hooker Juandre Schoeman. Riley Norton is retained at lock and will captain the team again, partnering Morne Venter. The loose forward combination sees Xola Nyali coming onto the side of the scrum at flanker. He teams up with Hlekani, who made a strong impact off the bench in the second half against the Pumitas, while Mlaba is retained at No 8, to complete the loose trio. Among the backs there is a new halfback pairing consisting of scrumhalf Ceano Everson and flyhalf Vusi Moyo, while the midfield comprises of Dominic Malgas and Scott Nel. Cheswill Jooste will start again at right wing, and he will be joined in the back three by Siya Ndlozi (left wing) and Mars (fullback). Gino Cupido scored the final try for the Junior Springboks against Argentina. Image: World Rugby
