{"id":92064,"date":"2026-03-10T11:30:49","date_gmt":"2026-03-10T09:30:49","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ssschoolsplus.co.za\/?p=92064"},"modified":"2026-03-10T11:30:49","modified_gmt":"2026-03-10T09:30:49","slug":"player-profile-juvan-burden-stellenberg-high","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/?p=92064","title":{"rendered":"Player Profile: Juvan Burden (Stellenberg High)"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Juvan Burden sizes up his options. Photo: Supplied by Michael Thomas.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Standing two metres tall and weighing 106 kilograms, Stellenberg High’s<\/strong> Juvan Burden<\/strong> is a standout player who catches the eye, both because of his size and skill.<\/p>\n

In 2025, the lock was selected for the SA Schools A<\/strong> and SA u18 A<\/strong> squads, along with his schoolmate Ethan van Biljon.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

Burden’s agent and Stellenberg’s 1st XI cricket coach Michael Thomas<\/strong><\/a> recalled his first sighting of the young forward: “I first saw Juvan as a 15-year-old boy,” he said. “My first impression was that his physicality was amazing, but also his defensive game was brilliant.<\/p>\n

“Juvan is a physical lock that dominates, especially with his defensive capabilities. He has the ability to stop momentum with his hard-hitting tackles.”<\/p>\n

“He’s also crucial at the set-pieces. He brings a lot to the lineouts with his steals, and he adds extra power in the scrums.<\/p>\n

“Juvan has added an offload to his game that puts his fellow teammates into space. I think that was a great work-on. That’s improved a lot,” Thomas noted.<\/p>\n

Burden shared his rugby origins with SuperSport Schools Plus:<\/strong> <\/a>“My earliest memories of rugby come from growing up in a family that truly loves the sport. Hearing their stories inspired me from a young age.<\/p>\n

“My dad bought me my first rugby ball when I was a youngster, and that’s when I really started falling in love with the game. I spent hours playing and practicing, where I began dreaming about one day playing for the Springboks<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

“Seeing the passion in my family, and experiencing the dominance and physicality in the game, is what truly ignited my love for rugby.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ever since then, the Jade Brigade<\/strong> <\/em>forward has continued to evolve as a player: “My game is always developing, but I feel the aspect that needs the most work is my decision-making under pressure.<\/p>\n

“Rugby is a fast and physical game, where making the right decisions quickly can make a big difference in the outcome of a play.<\/p>\n

“Sometimes there are moments where a better pass or tactical choice could create more opportunities for the team. I want to continue improving this by studying the game more, learning from my coaches, and gaining more match experience so I can make quicker and smarter decisions on the field,” Burden explained.<\/p>\n

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Juvan Burden displays his physical prowess. Photo: Supplied by Michael Thomas.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Thomas also remarked on Burden’s influence on his teammates and on the school at large: “Juvan is a quiet guy who leads by example and does his talking on the field. He is a hero at Stellenberg, and the juniors look up to him.”<\/p>\n

Casting an eye towards the future, Burden shared some of his ambitions: “My goal for the next five years is to proceed with my studies (BCom). I would also like to continue developing as a rugby player and to reach a higher level of competition.<\/p>\n

“Ultimately, I would like to represent the SA u20<\/strong> side, and then play in the URC<\/strong>.<\/p>\n

“On a personal level, I want to keep growing as a person by staying disciplined, working hard in my studies, and maintaining a healthy and balanced lifestyle.<\/p>\n

“Rugby has taught me important values, like teamwork, respect, and perseverance. I want to carry those values with me as I continue to build my future both on and off the field.”<\/p>\n

With a diligent mindset and a strong physical presence, Juvan Burden will be one of the leaders of the challenge laid down by any teams he represents in 2026.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Standing two metres tall and weighing 106 kilograms, Stellenberg High’s Juvan Burden is a standout player who catches the eye, both because of his size and skill. In 2025, the lock was selected for the SA Schools A and SA u18 A squads, along with his schoolmate Ethan van Biljon. Burden’s agent and Stellenberg’s 1st […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":40,"featured_media":92065,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-92064","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92064","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/40"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=92064"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/92064\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/92065"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=92064"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=92064"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/test.ssschoolsplus.co.za\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=92064"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}