Latest news with #SAUnder-19CricketWorldCup
The Star
24-07-2025
- Sport
- The Star
Saru's Rian Oberholzer: Springbok rugby's future in good hands after U20 success
The Junior Springboks' victory in the World Rugby Under-20 Championship shows that the game is thriving at every level in the country, according to SA Rugby Union (Saru) chief Rian Oberholzer. As the Springboks have won the last two Rugby World Cup titles, the fact that the junior side is following in their footsteps means the long-term future of the game is in good hands. It was also the first time in 13 years that an SA side has triumphed in the Under-20 showpiece event. Oberholzer said a lot of work went on behind the scenes which has led to the strong position of SA rugby. 'The restructuring helped a lot. We focused solely on the structures at the juniors [u18 and u20s] and women's rugby. Bringing in the right people, like Johan Ackerman and Kevin Foote, made a huge difference,' Oberholzer told 'We looked at what the DNA of South African rugby is, and it starts at U18 level. You can't have one system at U20s and something entirely different at the senior level. Dave Wessels and the high-performance team worked hard to ensure the U20s play like the Springboks.' 'We're working quietly but seriously on launching a six-team professional women's league. We've done the same with coaching structures as we did with the juniors [appointment of Swys de Bruin], and now we're looking to give more women a platform to compete at a high level.' Riley Norton skippered the SA Under-20 rugby team to the title over the weekend. It was not the first taste of international success for the young lock, as he was also part of the SA Under-19 Cricket World Cup last year, which made it to the semi-finals of the tournament. Luckily for Saru, Norton has already chosen to pursue rugby instead of cricket. @Michael_Sherman IOL Sport
IOL News
21-07-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
Proteas must be green with envy, as multi-talented Riley Norton shines for Baby Boks
Multi-talented Riley Norton, who led the SA Under-20 rugby team to victory in the 2025 World Rugby Under-20 Championship also previously excelled in cricket at the Under-19 Cricket World Cup last year. Picture: World Rugby Image: World Rugby Cricket SA (CSA) and the SA Rugby Union (SARU) may have a battle on their hands, and that will be persuading phenomenal talent Riley Norton to choose either cricket or rugby. Norton skippered the SA Under-20 rugby team as the side won the 2025 World Rugby Under-20 Championship over the weekend. It was not the first taste of international success for the young lock, as he was also part of the SA Under-19 Cricket World Cup last year, which made it to the semi-finals of the tournament. On the cricket field, Norton is a fast-bowling all-rounder and excelled at the 2025 Under-19 Cricket World Cup with 11 wickets and a batting average of 50 coming in down the order. 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 ✕ Ad loading Norton's Journey: From Cricket to Rugby Glory Since then, though, it seems Norton has focussed solely on rugby as he hasn't played any competitive cricket since that World Cup. Norton is just the third South African to earn SA Schools colours in both cricket and rugby and the 15th overall. After winning the World Rugby Under-20 Championship, Norton said: 'I'm quite emotional,' he said. 'The amount of work we put in after a tough Rugby Championship, I'm just so proud of the players and the coaching staff. I just can't put it into words. This has been the greatest month of my life.' Norton Praises Team Efforts and Embraces Rugby Passion As a member of the forwards, Norton praised the efforts of his team. 'That's where South Africans get our energy from, our DNA – the scrums, the mauls, the tackles – and Vusi Moyo was so good with the boot. 'We never felt pressure. A bit of nerves, but that's a good thing. We couldn't have done it without our fans cheering us on back home. I'm so proud to be South African. This is why we play the game, for moments and days like this.' It seems then that CSA may have already lost Norton's talents to rugby, and their loss will certainly be the Springboks' gain. @Michael_Sherman IOL Sport
