Author: saru

Eastern Province, Western Province, the Sharks and SWD were among the big winners in the first round of the u16 Girls Week staged at Jeppe High School in Johannesburg on Tuesday.

The Golden Lions, the tournament hosts, started well in their battle against WP, and went to the break with a 14-10 lead. WP upped the tempo in the second stanza, and eventually claimed a 29-21 victory, with centres Endinalo Fihla and Nichole Hartzenberg combining to score four of their team’s five tries.

Earlier in the day, EP scored six tries in a convincing 34-5 win against the Limpopo Blue Bulls, with flyhalf Nadelean Leeuwskieter contributing a hat-trick and a total of 19 points.

In other fixtures, South Western Districts produced a second-half blitz to down the Valke 29-5, while the Sharks cruised to a 10-0 win over Griquas.

The Blue Bulls pulled a result back for the north when they edged Border 12-10 in one of the tightest contests of the day.

The Pumas and Free State claimed convincing victories, while Boland survived a late fightback by Border Country Districts to win 10-7.

The u16 tournament will conclude at Jeppe High School on Thursday.

U16 results (Tuesday 2 July):

EP 34 (24) Limpopo Blue Bulls 5 (0)
WP 29 (10) Golden Lions 21 (14)
Pumas 31 (12) Griffons 15 (10)
Leopards 0 (0) Free State 19 (12)
Sharks 10 (5) Griquas 0 (0)
Border 10 (0) Blue Bulls 12 (5)
Boland 10 (10) Border Country Districts 7 (0)
SWD 29 (5) Valke 5 (5)

Meanwhile, the second and final round of the tournament for U18 teams will be staged at Jeppe High School on Wednesday, with the action commencing with at 10h00. The Sharks will tackle the Leopards on the A Field, while the Pumas will face Free State on the B Field.

u18 fixtures (Wednesday 3 July):

10h00: Sharks v Leopards, A Field
10h00: Pumas v Free State, B Field
11h30: Griquas v Griffons, A Field
11h30: Valke v Zimbabwe, B Field
13h00: Eastern Province v Limpopo Blue Bulls, A Field
13h00: Border v SWD, B Field
14h30: Western Province v Blue Bulls, A Field
14h30: Golden Lions v Boland, B Field

Issued by SA Rugby Communications

Junior Springbok coach Bafana Nhleko has tweaked the starting fifteen for Thursday’s World Rugby U20 Championship encounter with Argentina in Stellenbosch by making five changes to the run-on side that started in the win over Fiji.

Thursday’s Pool C clash at the Danie Craven Stadium will kick off at 19h00 and will be broadcast live on SuperSport.

The inclusion of Bruce Sherwood (fullback) and Phillip-Albert van Niekerk (inside centre) are the changes in the backline, in place of Michail Damon, who will sit out this clash, and Josh Boulle, who has been included on the bench.

Amongst the forwards, Thabang Mphafi moves from No 7 flanker to the other side of the scrum to play in the No 6 jersey where he replaces Sibabalwe Mahashe, who in turn moves to the replacement bench.

Elsewhere in the starting pack, Jaco Grobbelaar is set to make his debut at lock in place of Bathobele Hlekani, who will start at flanker. Meanwhile, Nhleko has opted for a split of six forwards and two backs on the bench in anticipation of a huge battle up front with the powerful Argentine pack.

“When we faced them two months ago in Australia, as well as during a strong first-half showing against England on Saturday (in Athlone), Argentina displayed their impressive forward power, so we have to be prepared to deal with that,” said Nhleko.

Nhleko explained the variations to the match 23: “Whilst we wanted to keep the spine of the team intact, we must manage the load of the players sensibly because this is a demanding tournament due to the short turnaround time between matches and being adaptable in different circumstances.

“I am pleased for Jaco who missed the Australian tour with injury and his selection, coupled with the other tweaks, are part of the process to freshen up the team and also adapting to how we want to play against different opposition.

“We have a hardworking squad who are all contributing positively even when not playing. They are eager to continue with their learning, growth, and togetherness as a group.”

Junior Springbok team to face Argentina in Stellenbosch:

15 Bruce Sherwood, 14 Joel Leotlela, 13 Jurenzo Julius, 12 Phillip-Albert van Niekerk, 11 Litelihle Bester, 10 Liam Koen, 9 Asad Moos, 8 Tiaan Jacobs, 7 Batho Hlekani, 6 Thabang Mphafi, 5 JF van Heerden, 4 Jaco Grobbelaar, 3 Zachary Porthen (captain), 2 Luca Bakkes,
1 Ruan Swart. Replacements: 16 Ethan Bester, 17 Liyema Ntshanga, 18 Casper Badenhorst, 19 Thomas Dyer, 20 Keanu Coetsee, 21 Sibabalwe Mahashe, 22 Tylor Sefoor, 23 Joshua Boulle.

Issued by SA Rugby Communications

Eastern Province and Border claimed big wins in the first round of the u18 Girls Week staged at Jeppe High School in Johannesburg on Monday.

EP scored 15 tries in their 99-5 win over Free State, with wingers Lukhanye Lolo (five tries) and Girly Tembani (three) proving especially potent. Flyhalf Micayle Hendricks contributed a try as well as 12 conversions to finish the game with 29 points.

Border proved too strong for the Leopards, running in 16 tries over the course of the 96-5 victory. Lock Zeze Gcaza and inside centre Semi Maliwa scored two tries apiece.

Earlier in the day, Western Province and the Golden Lions delivered impressive attacking performances in their big wins over Zimbabwe and the Griffons respectively.

Limpopo Blue Bulls rebounded from a seven-point half-time deficit to beat the Sharks 15-12, while another tight contest between the Pumas and Boland was eventually edged 20-19 by the Cape side.

The Blue Bulls also started with a win as they kept the Valke scoreless in their 20-0 victory – the only team on the opening day to keep a clean sheet.

u18 results (Monday 1 July):

EP 99 (43) Free State 5 (5)
Blue Bulls 20 (10) Valke 0 (0)
Sharks 12 (12) Limpopo Blue Bulls 15 (5)
Western Province 37 (22) Zimbabwe 5 (5)
SWD 24 (21) Griquas 5 (5)
Border 96 (45) Leopards 5 (5)
Griffons 5 (5) Golden Lions 48 (10)
Pumas 19 (10) Boland 20 (15)

The national U16 tournament will kick off at 10h00 on Tuesday when EP face the Limpopo Blue Bulls.

U16 fixtures (Tuesday 2 July):

10h00: EP v Limpopo Blue Bulls, A Field
10h00: WP v Golden Lions, B Field
11h15: Pumas v Griffons, A Field
11h15: Leopards v Free State, B Field
12h30: Sharks v Griquas, A Field
12h30: Border v Blue Bulls, B Field
13h45: Boland v Border Country Districts, A Field
13h45: SWD v Valke, B Field

Issued by SA Rugby Communications

The 2024 edition of the nationwide grassroots, Get Into Rugby (GIR) programme targeted at children aged six to 13 is officially underway and heads to the Free State province on Thursday, 18 July.

A festival event, two days before the world champions’ Test Match against Portugal in Bloemfontein, will take place to officially mark the return of the Engen-sponsored Get Into Rugby season.

The grassroots rugby initiative saw 244 788 boys and girls play the game across all nine provinces of the country in 2023, touching the lives of 114 281 boys and 130 507 girls, who might previously have never experienced organised sport, let alone rugby.

The programme also offers young, aspirant rugby coaches, both male and female, an opportunity to develop their rugby coaching skills – a key aspect that aligns with Engen Sports’ values of creating a holistic platform for youth sports development.

Engen Brand & Sponsorship Manager, Tsholo Tiro, said that Engen was looking forward to another season of impacting and contributing to the growth of rugby in South Africa through the programme.

“The Engen Get Into Rugby programme is quite important to Engen due to its unique ability to reach children at the grassroots level,” said Tiro.

“Over the years, sport has proven to be a fundamental aspect of the growth of children. As proud sponsors of this programme, Engen takes pride in contributing to a unique platform that encourages not only sport development, but the holistic development of the children to ensure that rugby and society benefit from well-groomed future rugby players.”

The festival in Bloemfontein will be visited by Springbok players to add inspiration and impetus to the young players, while Rian Oberholzer, CEO of SA Rugby emphasised the importance of providing new experiences and opportunities to young people.

“The Get Into Rugby programme has successfully introduced hundreds of thousands of children to rugby and sport over the many years and we’re grateful for Engen’s continued support,” said Oberholzer.

“This programme is the first rung on a ladder which leads to our men’s and women’s Springbok teams. But, as much as that, it offers an opportunity to play organised sport for many children who would not ever have the chance to experience it.”

Note: Get into Rugby is a nationwide grassroots rugby initiative operated under the auspices of SA Rugby and is a brainchild of World Rugby in its strategy of growing the game globally through encouraging players of all ages to try, play and stay in rugby.

Issued by SA Rugby Communications

South Africa’s top schoolgirls will be in action at the SA Rugby U16 & U18 Girls Weeks staged at Jeppe High School in Johannesburg from Monday.

The final two tournaments in SA Rugby’s 2024 Youth Weeks programme will run from 1 to 4 July. The U18 fixtures will be staged on Monday and Wednesday, while the U16 games will be played on Tuesday and Thursday.

The High-Performance Manager: Women’s Rugby, Lynne Cantwell, said the tournaments are paramount to give these age group girls the opportunity to compete at a national level.

“The system is growing year on year and this competition gives us a sense of which direction that is going. We’ve been monitoring injuries in the competition over the past few years as the physical readiness of the players gives us a lot of information on the make-up of the community game. Last year we noticed a decrease in injuries at u18s age grade for the first time and therefore we are interested track this trend to inform our decisions on the game,” Cantwell explained.

“We are also seeing a slow but gradual increase in female coaches coaching the provincial teams.  This year 22 female coaches will be involved at the tournament. It is important to maintain a gender mix within management, but we also know that girls coached by woman are more likely to want to coach themselves when they grow up.  Developing female coaches is a long-term project.”

For the first time, an u18 EPD squad will be selected, with a two-day High-Performance Camp to follow the tournament.

Some of the Springbok Women players will also be in attendance.

Eastern Province and Free State will meet in the first fixture of the U18 tournament at 09h00 on Monday morning.

Meanwhile, EP will tackle the Blue Bulls in the u16 opener at 10h00 on Tuesday.

u18 fixtures (Monday 1 July):

09h00: EP v Free State, A Field

09h00: Blue Bulls v Valke, B Field

10h30: Sharks v Limpopo Blue Bulls, A Field

10h30: Western Province v Zimbabwe, B Field

12h00: SWD v Griquas, A Field

12h00: Border v Leopards, B Field

14h00: Griffons v Golden Lions, A Field

14h00: Pumas v Boland, B Field

u16 fixtures (Tuesday 2 July):

10h00: EP v Limpopo Blue Bulls, A Field

10h00: WP v Golden Lions, B Field

11h15: Pumas v Griffons, A Field

11h15: Leopards v Free State, B Field

12h30: Sharks v Griquas, A Field

12h30: Border v Blue Bulls, B Field

13h45: Boland v Border Country Districts, A Field

13h45: SWD v Valke, B Field

Issued by SA Rugby Communications

The Junior Springboks started their 2024 World Rugby u20 Championship in commanding fashion at DHL Stadium in Cape Town on Saturday by beating Fiji 57-7 in their tournament opener. They led 31-0 at halftime.

The South Africans scored eight tries in a strong showing of their intent and bar some second-half lapses in concentration and a yellow card to Jurenzo Julius, played with good commitment and purpose throughout.

They secured their four-try bonus point in the first half and went on to score eight tries in total, while Fiji managed a solo try in the second half.

In his reaction, Junior Bok coach Bafana Nhleko said his team did well to secure a good win against a physical Fijian side, by doing the basics right.

“We took some time to get going in the opening minutes, did well to stick to our fundamentals and then get the job done,” said Nhleko.

“We will take the win, there’s obviously work-on, but we know it will get tougher with Argentina and England in our pool, who are two physical and well drilled teams on attack as well as at set piece.”

The Junior Boks’ win was built on a solid performance by their hardworking pack of forwards.

“We spoke in the week about our set piece, and how important it would be to be disciplined and stick to our structure, so I’m glad we could do that,” said Nhleko, who added they were also happy to give the wider match-day squad playing time.

The SA U20 mentor said: “It’s going to be important to manage the load of the squad throughout the tournament, and we could do that today (Saturday), thanks to the good platform provided by the pack.”

The SA Under-20’s face Argentina on Thursday in their second pool game, and with that in mind the Junior Bok coach said it was important to keep an eye on player load management.

“We learnt some harsh lessons in the past, so we must get the balance right. We will keep the spine together as we look at managing the squad because the Argentinians are a tough, physical team.”

Replacement scrumhalf Ezekiel Ngobeni was stretched off after a tackle collision late in the second half.

“He was taken to the hospital for a check-up, but he is okay, he is a warrior,” said the coach.

The team will undergo a recovery session on Sunday and resume training on Monday. Thursday’s game against Argentina kicks off at 19h00 at the Danie Craven Stadium in Stellenbosch.

Issued by SA Rugby Communications

The Junior Springboks have included three uncapped players, namely hooker Luca Bakkes, flyhalf Liam Koen and outside back Likhona Finca, in their match day squad for their World Rugby Under-20 opening match against Fiji at the Cape Town Stadium on Saturday. The encounter kicks off at 19h00 and will be broadcast live on SuperSport.

Bakkes will make his run-on debut and packs down in the front row between props Ruan Swart and Zachary Porthen, the Junior Bok captain, while Finca is set to make his debut off the bench should he be sent on as an outside back replacement. Koen will wear the No. 10 jersey.

Otherwise, the rest of the Junior Boks have a settled look with the rest of the starting line-up and replacement bench consisting of players who participated in the recent SANZAAR Under-20 Rugby Championship in Queensland, Australia.

The starting line-up has five changes and a positional switch from the run-on side that beat Argentina in the last Rugby Championship match at the Sunshine Coast Stadium in Queensland, while there are several tweaks among the reserves.

Apart from Bakkes’ inclusion in the front row in place of Juan Smal, there is also a change at No 4 lock, with Thomas Dyer sitting out because of a niggle and the versatile Bathobele Hlekani moves from the side of the scrum to form the lock partnership with JF van Heerden.

Thabang Mphafi, who played off the bench against Argentina U20s, fills Hlekani’s position at No 7 flank, with Siba Mahashe (No 6) and Tiaan Jacobs (No 8) the rest of the loose forwards.

Liam Koen also debuts as the playmaker and he partners scrumhalf Asad Moos in a new-look halfback pairing.

The only other backline change sees Michail Damon in the fullback position, in place of Bruce Sherwood who donned the No 15 jersey in their previous match.

Junior Bok coach Bafana Nhleko said the team has worked hard over the past week and worked on the lessons from the Rugby Championship in Australia, and they are ready to meet the challenge of Fiji on Saturday.

“We had a good holding camp in Stellenbosch last week and, since our move to our tournament base in Green Point on Tuesday, the focus has been on fine-tuning preparations,” Nhleko said.

Fiji come into the tournament as a well-oiled combination because of their recent success in the Oceania tournament over fellow Pacific neighbours Tonga, Moana Pasifika and Samoa.

“Fiji are a team with threats all round the park, big strong boys with excellent ball skills and dangerous with ball in hand. You need to be on it for 80 minutes, concentration wise, to deal with their threats.

“For us, it’s about excelling in our fundamentals, maintaining our strengths around playing from set piece and being in a position to make the right decisions when there are opportunities. The contact area behaviours will be key on both sides of the ball.” Nhleko said.

The match is the first of three Pool C matches for the SA Under 20s, whose other group games are against Argentina and England.

Meanwhile, the squad also had to make three replacements because of recent injuries. Prop Reno Hirst, lock Adam de Waal and fullback JC Marsh will all miss the Championship through injury.

Hirst hurt his knee; De Waal has been ruled out with a hip injury while concussion means Mars will miss at least the first two matches. Their replacements are Herman Lubbe (prop, DHL WP), Jaco Grobbelaar (lock, Vodacom Bulls) and Hassiem Pead (fullback, DHL WP).

“It’s unfortunate when injuries happen especially for guys like Adam and Reno, who worked so hard (from previous injuries) to give themselves a shot at the competition, but it is part of the game, we wish them a speedy recovery,” said Nhleko.

“JC could still feature later in the competition and potentially, has next year as well. In the same breath, it’s great to welcome Hassiem back to the squad and Jaco, who missed the Australia tour due to injury – congratulations to both and we are excited to see their growth.”

Junior Boks team vs Fiji, Saturday, 29 June at the Cape Town Stadium:

15 Michail Damon, 14 Joel Leotlela, 13 Jurenzo Julius, 12 Joshua Boulle, 11 Litelihle Bester, 10 Liam Koen, 9 Asad Moos, 8 Tiaan Jacobs, 7 Thabang Mphafi, 6 Sibabalwe Mahashe, 5 JF van Heerden, 4 Batho Hlekani, 3 Zachary Porthen (captain), 2 Luca Bakkes, 1 Ruan Swart. Replacements: 16 Juan Smal, 17 Liyema Ntshanga, 18 Casper Badenhorst, 19 Keanu Coetsee, 20 Divan Fuller, 21 Ezekiel Ngobeni, 22 Tylor Sefoor, 23 Likhona Finca.

Issued by SA Rugby Communications

The Junior Springbok squad for the forthcoming World Rugby Under-20 Championship in Cape Town was announced on Friday, with Zachary Porthen – one of five players who will feature in the tournament for a second time – named as the captain of the team.

Apart from Porthen – who will pack down at prop – the other players who played in the tournament on home soil last year are JF van Heerden (lock), Asad Moos (scrumhalf), Jurenzo Julius (centre) and Litelihle Bester (wing).

Junior Bok coach Bafana Nhleko acknowledged the difficulty in finalizing the 30-man squad due to the high level of commitment and desire shown by the entire training group.

“We had to make some tough decisions to choose what we as coaches believe would be the best selection for the competition,” Nhleko explained.

“I commend all the guys who have been part of the journey thus far and the sacrifices made, but from hereon, the focus will be towards building cohesion within the squad.

“We are excited for the challenge that lies ahead, the players are keen to create their own story and we can only take confidence from the work that the group has put in.”

The training squad reconvened this week to begin their preparations since their return from Brisbane last month, where they participated in the inaugural U20 Rugby Championship arranged by SANZAAR.

Nhleko said: “That tournament gave us an opportunity to play in three very tough, competitive matches, presented us with key learnings and areas to work on, but we also grew as a group. We are keen to keep driving good behaviours and build on the positive aspects of our performances.”

The Junior Boks are grouped in Pool C with Fiji, Argentina, and England. France will defend the title they won in Cape Town last year, and the SA U20s will look to improve on their bronze medal from 2023.

The tournament kicks off on 29 June in Cape Town at DHL Stadium and Athlone Stadium, with subsequent pool match days scheduled for 4 and 9 July. The playoffs, including the semi-finals for the top four sides, will be staged on 14 July, with the final and ranking matches on 19 July.

The Junior Boks will start their campaign on Saturday, 29 June against Fiji in the DHL Stadium, followed by pool games against Argentina on 4 July (Danie Craven Stadium in Stellenbosch) and England on 9 July (Athlone Stadium).

Tickets for the world event are priced at R35 for children 18 years old and younger, and R75 for adults and are available from Ticketmaster, with admission including three encounters at every venue.

Junior Springbok squad for the World Rugby U20 Championship:

Props: Casper Badenhorst (Vodacom Bulls), Liyema Ntshanga, (Toyota Cheetahs), Reno Hirst (Fidelity ADT Golden Lions), Zachary Porthen (captain, DHL Western Province), Ruan Swart (Vodacom Bulls).

Hookers: Ethan Bester (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Luca Bakkes (DHL Western Province), Juan Smal (Vodacom Bulls).

Locks: Adam de Waal (DHL Western Province), JF van Heerden (Vodacom Bulls), Thomas Dyer (Hollywoodbets Sharks).

Loose forwards: Batho Hlekani (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Divan Fuller (DHL Western Province), Keanu Coetsee (Vodacom Bulls), Sibabalwe Mahashe (Fidelity ADT Golden Lions), Thabang Mphafi (Fidelity ADT Golden Lions), Tiaan Jacobs (Biarritz).

Scrumhalves: Asad Moos (DHL Western Province), Ezekiel Ngobeni (DHL Western Province).

Flyhalves: Liam Koen (Vodacom Bulls), Tylor Sefoor (Toyota Cheetahs).

Centres: Bruce Sherwood (DHL Western Province), Joshua Boulle (DHL Western Province), Jurenzo Julius (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Philip-Albert van Niekerk (Vodacom Bulls).

Outside backs: JC Mars (DHL Western Province), Joel Leotlela (DHL Western Province & SA Sevens), Litelihle Bester (Hollywoodbets Sharks), Likhona Finca (Fidelity ADT Golden Lions), Michail Damon (Vodacom Bulls).

Issued by SA Rugby Communications

STADIO Higher Education has joined SA Rugby as the headline sponsor of the 2024 u18 STADIO Craven Week, which takes place from 24-29 June at Hoërskool Monument in Krugersdorp.

As part of the agreement, STADIO will make three bursaries available to the u18 Craven Week Players of the Tournament (best back, best forward, and best player of the tournament), which will enable these players access to further their studies at a tertiary level.

Furthermore, STADIO is also an associate partner of the u16 and u18 Girls Week and the u16 Grant Khomo Week.

The sponsorship underlines STADIO’s focus to support young athletes and ensure their tertiary education receives priority to unlock careers beyond rugby.

STADIO chief executive officer Chris Vorster said: “It’s very important to us that sportsmen and women prioritise their education alongside their sporting endeavours and we are proud to facilitate this process.”

“At STADIO, we believe in the future of our nation and our message has resonated profoundly since our launch three years ago.

Vorster said that STADIO placed its students at the heart of its ethos. “We take a profound interest in what our students need,” he said. “We offer higher education specially designed to meet industry requirements and to accommodate our students’ diverse lifestyles.

“We have made a difference by offering wide-ranging and affordable access to private higher education, and equipping our students to become the most empowered version of themselves.

“We pride ourselves in providing excellent support and service. We ensure that our students are important and valued while keeping things simple and focussing on what’s important.”

The partnership includes a parallel agreement with the SA Schools Rugby Association (SASRA) for STADIO to assist with education requirements of learners once they matriculate.

“We are delighted to have the opportunity to partner with SA Rugby and the SA Schools Rugby Association,” said Vorster.

Rian Oberholzer, CEO of SA Rugby, said: “The alignment between STADIO’s goals and the purpose of the Youth Weeks makes for a perfect marriage and their support is highly appreciated.

“Their commitment to the tournament elevates the event for all stakeholders and we look forward to developing the relationship over coming years.”

• STADIO Higher Education, which encompasses ten academic schools, resides within STADIO Holdings, which owns two more prestigious registered higher education institutions, namely AFDA and Milpark Education.
• STADIO is also the official education partner of the Vodacom Bulls, Hollywood Bets Sharks, and DHL Western Province.

Zachary Porthen resumes the captaincy of a reshuffled Junior Springboks starting line-up for Sunday’s final Under-20 Rugby Championship match against Argentina at the Sunshine Coast Stadium in Bokarina on the eastern seaboard of Queensland in Australia.

Porthen was not considered for the previous encounter with Australia because of a hand injury, but he is back in the starting line-up to lead a Junior Bok team showing a number of changes for their third and final fixture of the new Sanzaar competition.

Only four players in the starting team will run out in the same positions they played against Australia – JF van Heerden (lock), who captained the SA U20s against Australia, Tiaan Jacobs (No 8), Litelihle Bester (left wing) and Jurenzo Julius (outside centre).

Another three players will again start, but in different positions – Bathobele Hlekani (flanker/lock), as well as Josh Boulle and Phillip Albert van Niekerk (utility backs).

Amongst the forwards, there is a new-look front row consisting of props Ruan Swart and Porthen and hooker Juan Smal. Van Heerden forms the tweaked lock combination with Thomas Dyer, while Hlanki, Sibabalwe Mahashe (flankers), and Jacobs (No 8) form the loose trio.

In the reshuffled backline, Bruce Sherwood moves from his regular midfield position to fullback, Joel Leotlela comes in for Boulle at right wing, with Boulle shifting to inside centre. Van Niekerk moves from inside centre to flyhalf and the scrumhalf jersey is handed to Ezekiel Ngobeni with Asad Moos now playing off the bench.

Liyema Ntshanga, Casper Badenhorst (front rankers), and JC Mars (utility back) were retained on the replacement bench, while Adam de Waal and Michail Damon were not considered for selection due to injuries.

Junior Bok head coach Bafana Nhleko said the team wants to show an improvement in their performance and play to their potential, which was not the case in their draw with New Zealand and defeat to Australia.

“We all realise the quality of play in the two previous two matches was not up to our standards and it’s the small margins that keep hurting us,” said Nhleko.

“Growth is about applying the learnings and I hope we can showcase the ability we have within the group.”

According to the SA U20 coach, his team wants to shake off their frustrating inconsistency and error rate: “Up to now we’ve not been able to string together significant passages of play to get rewards, thus releasing pressure for the opposition and we have not managed the game well when we have taken the lead in both games.

“Despite those shortcomings, we still managed to keep ourselves in contention right until the end of both games, which proves our fighting spirit and parts of our ability.

“We have worked hard to rectify those areas and have prepared well, now the players must go out and show what they can do. Argentina demonstrated their ability against Australia especially at set piece and they, just like us, would want to bounce back from their disappointment against New Zealand, so we must show the right attitude to meet that challenge,” added Nhleko.

The match kicks off at 13h30 (05h30 SA time) and will be broadcast live on SuperSport. Australia and New Zealand play the final tournament fixture.

Junior Springbok team to face Argentina:

15 Bruce Sherwood, 14 Joel Leotlela, 13 Jurenzo Julius, 12 Joshua Boulle, 11 Litelihle Bester, 10 Philip-Albert van Niekerk, 9 Ezekiel Ngobeni, 8 Tiaan Jacobs, 7 Batho Hlekani, 6 Sibabalwe Mahashe, 5 JF van Heerden, 4 Thomas Dyer, 3 Zachary Porthen (captain), 2 Juan Smal, 1 Ruan Swart. Replacements: 16 Ethan Bester, 17 Liyema Ntshanga, 18 Casper Badenhorst, 19 Thabang Mphafi, 20 Divan Fuller, 21 Asad Moos, 22 Thurlon Williams, 23 JC Mars.

Issued by SA Rugby Communications