Author: saru

SA Under-18 coach James Winstanley has made 10 rotational changes to his starting team from the side that beat Ireland, for Tuesday’s u18 International Series clash with England at Paarl Boys’ High School.

The South Africans scored a superb victory over a strong Irish outfit on Friday at Paarl Gimnasium, and according to Winstanley, the changes are intentional so that everyone in the squad get a start in their two matches.

Only two backs are retained for the final encounter of the series with England, in Akha Boqwana (fullback) and Khutadzo Rashivhaga (right wing).

Upfront, SA u18 captain Sethu Mnebelele (hooker) earns his second start, while the talented Riley Norton also gets another start at lock, as does Reuben Kruger at No 8.

Reflecting on their victory over Ireland, Winstanley said he was immensely proud of the team’s performance: “We had to dig deep at times particularly when reduced to 13 men, which was a testament to the team’s character.

“We looked very dangerous when we had the ball, scoring five superb tries, however, we will need to improve our discipline and set pieces if we are to overcome England.

“There is a fantastic rivalry that has developed between us over the last few years, and we know that they will produce their best performance come Tuesday.”

Reacting to the numerous changes, Winstanley explained it was always part of the plan.

“We are very fortunate to have an abundance of depth in our team and so there are ten changes to the starting team for this game reflecting the strength of the squad,” said Winstanley.

The match starts at 13h30 and will be broadcast live on the SuperSport Schools platforms. Ireland and Georgia will clash in the other match, starting at 15h30.

SA u18 team to face England in Paarl:

15 Akha Boqwana, 14 Khutadzo Rashivhaga, 13 Ethan Adams, 12 Janco Purchase, 11 Cheswill Jooste, 10 Vusi Moyo, 9 Adeeb Boraine, 8 Reuben Kruger, 7 Josh Neill, 6 Torren February, 5 Riley Norton, 4 AJ Meyer, 3 Aidan Botha, 2 Sethu Mnebelele (captain), 1 Phiwayinkosi Kubheka. Replacements: 16 Mahle Sithole, 17 Oliver Reid, 18 Luqobo Makadweni, 19 JD Hattingh, 20 Alutha Wesi, 21 Ellie Meyer, 22 Yaqeen Ahmed, 23 Pieter van der Merwe, 24 Joshua Mackenzie, 25 Markus Muller, 26 Zekethelo Siyaya.

Issued by SA Rugby Communications

A dominant first-half performance laid the foundation for a well-deserved 38-26 victory for South Africa over Ireland in their first outing of the Under-18 International Series at Paarl Gimnasium in bright sunshine on Friday afternoon.

The SA u18s enjoyed a deserved 21-12 halftime lead after scoring three converted tries, while the Irish responded with two tries and a conversion during an enterprising first half before an appreciative crowd which included a sizable Irish contingent.

Both sides added two converted tries in the second half, which was characterised by a raft of replacements as both teams gave opportunities to their full squads. South Africa also landed a long-range penalty goal to ensure they finished well out of range of the powerful Irish side.

With Riley Norton (lock), who was named Player of the Match, leading the way, the hosts had the upper hand in the set pieces in the first half, with Ireland sloppy at lineout time which saw them losing three on the trot and a further four after the break.

However, the Irish had a complete reversal of fortunes in the scrum during the second half, when they made life difficult for the SA pack, especially after sending their replacement forwards onto the park.

Ireland who got off to the perfect start when Connor Magee (hooker) scored in the right-hand corner from a well-executed lineout maul to put them 5-0 ahead.

Five minutes later, from a stolen lineout and a clever kick ahead into the Irish 22, the SA U18s’ strong running centre Markus Muller went in under the posts for the hosts’ opening try, converted by flyhalf Yaqeen Ahmed.

Shortly afterwards, South Africa went further ahead when the lively Ahmed was the architect of the second try, with a lovely break from a set piece to put Zekhethelo Siyaya (left wing) over under the uprights to stretch the hosts’ lead to 14-5.

Jack Deegan (centre) then reduced the deficit for the Irish with a converted try, but the South Africans didn’t waste time to cross for their third try – and Siyaya’s second – when the speedster gathered a clever grubber from the impressive Muller. Ahmed added the extras to stretch the SA advantage to 21-12 at the break.

With SA punished with two yellow cards and their replacements struggling to make an impact upfront, the Irish gained the ascendancy upfront, and Magee barged his way over for his second try, which was also converted to make it a two-point game.

But the SA u18 pack worked hard to stay in the fight, and captain Sethu Mnebelele capped a good performance with a try to edge his side 28-19 ahead with more than half of the second stanza remaining.

They then turned on the style when exciting outside back replacement Cheswill Jooste outstripped the defence on the left flank for another converted try, their fifth of the afternoon which was converted by fullback Akahluwa Boqwana.

Replacement back Vusi Moyo then landed a long-range penalty goal to take the game away from the Irish at 38-19 and despite a fourth Irish try, it was a deserved win for the SA U18s in their first outing of the tournament.

Earlier on Friday, England had to draw on all their reserves and produced a second-half masterclass as they wiped out a 20-10 deficit at the break to defeat a gritty Georgia 27-20 for their first win of the series.

The U18 International Series concludes next Tuesday when South Africa faces England and Ireland take on Georgia at Paarl Boys’ High’s Brug Street fields.

Scorers:

South Africa 38 (21) – Tries: Zekhethelo Siyaya (2), Markus Muller, Sethu Mnebelele, Cheswill Jooste. Conversions: Yaqeen Ahmed (3), Aka Boqwana (2). Penalty: Vusi Moyo. Ireland 26 (12) – Tries: Conor Magee (2), Jack Deegan, Jamie Conway. Conversions: Conor O’Shaughnessy (2), Tom Wood.