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Westville Boys’ High hosted St Charles College on Bowden’s Field on Saturday where runs were hard to come by.

After dismissing Saints for just 123, Westville scraped by their visitors from Pietermaritzburg with only two wickets in hand, thanks mostly to 50 from opener, Ewan du Toit.

When the toss went their way, St Charles chose to bat, but they soon found themselves in a world of trouble, losing the top four batsmen in their line-up with only 31 runs on the board.

Kyle McGough was a big reason for the visitors’ early struggles, picking up three of the four wickets to fall, on his way to a sparkling return of 3/21 from seven overs.

Rico Honiball and Ryan Clarke stopped the slide, adding 32 for the fifth wicket, before Honiball was caught by McGough off the bowling of Ewan du Toit for 20.

Disaster struck Saints when Clarke was run out for 18, and Du Toit soon struck again, dismissing Rowen Rajah without scoring. When Aarin Rasmussen accounted for Kaiyuran Naidoo only one run later, St Charles was reeling on 72/8, in danger of being dismissed for less than a hundred.

Connor Simpson and Connor Vogt ensured that didn’t happen, advancing the total by 40 runs before Simpson became Du Toit’s third victim, out for the innings’ top score of 23.

Vogt and Dylan Leppan added another 11 runs for the tenth wicket before Leppan became the second batsman to be run out. Vogt finished unbeaten on 20 as the St Charles’ innings ended after 36.1 overs on 123 all out.

Left-arm spinner, Ewan du Toit, matched Kyle McGough, snaring 3/21, although he sent down a tidy 8.1 overs. Aarin Rasmussen produced the most economical bowling of the match, returning 1/10 from five overs.

When they batted, Westville lost opener Rasmussen and Dayalan Boyce, who batted third in the order, cheaply. The bowling standouts, Ewan du Toit and Kyle McGough, added 18 for the third wicket before McGough departed for eight.

That brought Du Toit and Westville skipper, Seth Simpson, together and they slowly turned the contest in their side’s favour, combining for a decisive 51-run fourth wicket partnership, which ended when Simpson was caught off the bowling of André Bosman for 14.

Kaiyuran Naidoo made Tristin Delvin his second victim, having dismissed Boyce earlier, and two runs later the vital wicket of Du Toit was earned by Bosman, with the opener having faced 93 balls, eight of which he dispatched for four, in scoring exactly 50.

When Liam de Villiers was run out only a run later, Westville was wobbling on 99/7. Four wickets had fallen for just 10 runs.

Aidan Baudach and Misbah Nair added 11 runs before Baudach became the fourth player to be run out in the match, with his exit sending Ashton Kidgell to the middle.

Thankfully for Westville, they had Nair at the other end. He took on the responsibility of seeing his side across the line, steering Westville to a tight two-wicket win.

Kaiyuran Naidoo led the Saints’ bowling effort, nabbing 2/28 from his 10 overs, while André Bosman’s return was 2/23 from six.

Summarised scorecard

St Charles College 123/10 (Connor Simpson 23, Connor Vogt 20*, Rico Honiball 20; Ewan du Toit 3/21, Kyle McGough 3/21); Westville Boys High 125/8 (Ewan du Toit 50; Kaiyuran Naidoo 2/28, André Bosman 2/23). Westville Boys’ High won by two wickets.

In Saturday’s big Durbanville derby, the home side, Hoërskool Stellenberg, won the toss and opted to bat first in their limited overs clash with Hoërskool Durbanville. The Jade Brigade was well prepared for the battle.

Despite posting only a seemingly average total, they exploited the favourable pitch conditions to the maximum to power their way to an outstanding 131-run win.

Stellies‘ opener, Aidan Pienaar played with caution at the top of the order, accumulating 22 runs from 54 balls.

Later, captain JJ Rothman, batting at number eight, added some spice to the run rate, walloping three fours and a six in his 45 off 50 deliveries.

Stellenberg was further boosted by Gerrad Kamalie, batting at 10. He struck a four and a six in his unbeaten run-a-ball 32, which helped the hosts see out their 50 overs on 198/7.

Ruan van As was the only Durbies‘ bowler to claim multiple wickets, picking up 2/44 from his 10 overs. Jan-Oscar van Tonder was, meanwhile, largely responsible for the home side’s slow start, sending down an impressive four maidens in his 1/26 from 10 overs.

When Durbanville batted, openers Juan van Coller and Danté Mouton were kept on the defensive. They held Stellies at bay for 13.4 overs but produced only a 24-run opening stand. Van Coller contributed eight off 34 balls, while Mouton added 15 from 50.

After they were dismissed, wickets fell regularly. From 24 without loss, the visitors tumbled to just 67 all out. Eurich Vermeulen and Farrel Leigh Dido offered some resistance in the middle order, scoring 13 and 16 respectively, but Stellenberg’s bowlers had the bit between their teeth.

Captain Jan-Jak Alberts delivered brilliance with the ball, claiming 4/16 in 4.5 overs, while Aidan Pienaar clamped down on Durbanville’s batsmen, snaring 3/12 in 10 overs, five of which were maidens. Riku Doubell added to Durbies’ problems by snapping up 2/14.

Summarised Scorecards

Hoërskool Stellenberg 198/7 (JJ Rothman 45, Gerrad Kamalie 32*, Francois Hugo 25, Aidan Pienaar 22, Extras 22; Ruan van As 2/44); Hoërskool Durbanville 67/10 (Jan-Jak Alberts 4/16, Aidan Pienaar 3/12, Riku Doubell 2/14). Stellenberg won by 131 runs.

Rondebosch Boys’ High made the short trip to Bishops Diocesan College on Saturday for a southern suburbs’ derby a pleasant one by powering their way to a big victory on the Frank Reid Oval.

After bowling out the home side for just less than 200, ‘Bosch batted boldly to gallop to a nine-wicket win in the 50-over fixture.

Bishops’ captain, James Robb-Quinlan, playing his 100th match for the 1st XI, displayed some of his signature talent and hard hitting, blasting four fours and three sixes in scoring 73 from 70 balls.

However, only Daniel Perold, with an unbeaten 26, and Alex Vintcent, with 25, also made it beyond the teens, and then not by much,

Daniel Cooke dispatched both Bishops’ openers, on his way to 2/44 from five overs.

Raa’id Davids caused the hosts further problems, claiming 3/38 in 5.1 overs, including the final wicket of the innings.

Schalk Fourie, meanwhile, halted the home side’s momentum, sending down four maidens in his miserly return of 2/9 from six overs, which helped to hold Bishops to 194 all out after 41.1 overs.

When ‘Bosch batted, Michael Kruiskamp claimed the only wicket for the home side, removing opener Daniel Cooke. By then, though, Cooke had blasted six fours and two sixes in a quickfire 43 off only 24 deliveries.

Eli Aufrichtig and Cooke’s replacement, Adeeb Levy, proceeded to take the game away from Bishops, compiling an unbroken 144-run second-wicket partnership.

Aufrichtig kept the scoreboard ticking, striking nine fours in his undefeated 64 off 87 balls. Adeeb Levy finished as the match’s top scorer, stroking 10 fours in his 77 not out from 76 deliveries.

After only 30.1 overs, Rondebosch eased to 198/1 and victory in the derby with 119 balls to spare.

Summarised Scorecards 

Bishops Diocesan College 194/10 (James Robb-Quinlan 73, Daniel Perold 26*, Alex Vintcent 25, Extras 20; Raa’id Davids 3/38, Schalk Fourie 2/9, Ethan De Heer Kloots 2/26, Daniel Cooke 2/44); Rondebosch Boys’ High 198/1 (Adeeb Levy 77*, Eli Aufrichtig 64*, Daniel Cooke 43). Rondebosch won by nine wickets.

In their southern suburbs’ derby showdown against SACS on Saturday, Wynberg Boys’ High‘s decision to bat first on the De Villiers Oval. after winning the toss paid big dividends.

Playing a 50-overs-a-side match, Wynberg batted well to ensure that when SACS took to the crease they felt under pressure. That worked a treat as the home side struggled to put together partnerships, leading to a convincing 117-run win for the visitors.

Wynberg delivered a strong innings, with Matthew Saunders helping to lay the foundation with 60 runs from 102 deliveries, which included five fours.

In at four, Qaeed Shaik smashed two fours and two sixes in an impactful 57 off 63.

Later in the innings, middle order men, Joshua Prince and captain Michail Tarentaal, sped up the tempo to lift Wynberg to 265/6 total after their 50 overs. Prince clobbered three fours and two sixes in his 32 off 30, while Tarentaal cracked three fours and a maximum in his undefeated 30 off 19.

Benjamin Blackburn was the standout among the SACS bowlers, collecting 3/24 in 10 overs.

When it was the turn of SACS to bat, they found the Wynberg bowlers to be dialled in. Litha Kraai, however, stood alone like a lighthouse in the dark, scoring 71 runs, but support for him was slim. In just 31.2 overs, the visitors bowled out SACS for 148.

Raihan Khan was clinical, knocking back 3/9 in five overs. Prince followed up his strong batting performance with 2/20 in five overs, while Luke Kleinsmith, although a touch on the expensive side, captured the final wicket of the match to finish with 3/59 from 9.2 overs.

Summarised Scorecard

Wynberg Boys’ High 265/6 (Matthew Saunders 60, Qaeed Shaik 57, Fawaaz Hendricks 46, Joshua Prince 32, Michail Tarentaal 30*, Storme van Rooyen 22; Benjamin Blackburn 3/24); SACS 148/10 (Litha Kraai 71, Raihan Khan 3/9, Luke Kleinsmith 3/59, Joshua Prince 2/20, Ihsan Khan 2/36). Wynberg won by 117 runs.

The SA Under-19 Academy side will take some valuable lessons on board from their 20-12 defeat against France in their first tour match on Saturday, with Junior Springbok captain Riley Norton saying the players will work hard to make a step-up next week.

The match was played in front of a passionate crowd of 8 000 spectators in Châteauroux, where the teams were tied 7-7 after a close-fought first half. France pulled away in the second half and ended up scoring two converted tries and two penalty goals, while the SA U19s countered with two tries and a conversion.

The SA U19s will travel to Dublin on Sunday and will be based in Cork while they prepare for their second match of the tour, against Ireland U19 next Friday evening.

Speaking after the match, Norton and Junior Bok head coach Kevin Foote both expressed gratitude for the opportunity to play in France.

They view the match as a crucial step in the development and cultural integration of a young squad as they begin the journey towards the next year’s World Rugby U20 Championship in Georgia.

The South Africans only had a few days together in Stellenbosch before flying to France, where they prepared this past week at the French Rugby Federation’s High-Performance Centre in Marcoussis.

Norton said the match was played in a fantastic spirit and noted that the crowd certainly played their part.

“The crowd was fantastic and France played well to win the game, so congratulations to them,” said Norton.

“The main goal for us is to use the tour so the team can learn and grow by playing proper games against quality opposition, as we rebuild towards Georgia next year. We will learn from these mistakes and will now prepare to face Ireland, hoping for an improved performance in Cork.”

Foote echoed these sentiments: “The main objective is developing this group, giving them clarity of our game model, how we want to play, and giving our team key experiences.

“France played with typical French flair, and we will have to learn from our mistakes, which will help us to grow, as we build towards the next international U20 season.”

Most members of the Academy squad got their first taste of playing in the South African jersey away from home, which Foote described as a special occasion for the players.

Issued by SA Rugby Communications

Hoërskool Garsfontein captain, Xander Venter, and star batsman, Reuben van Zyl, bid Garsies‘ cricket farewell in the best possible manner by leading their side to the Fain Noordvaal title on Saturday.

Venter spearheaded the bowling attack and Van Zyl the batting effort of their team in the Ysbere‘s dominant nine-wicket victory over Hoërskool Dr Malan in the final of the competition on St Alban’s College‘s TC Mitchell Oval.

The victory ended an eight-year trophy drought for Garsfontein’s 1st XI side in the competition. They had last won it in 2018 when they beat Hoërskool Waterkloof in the title game in in Potchefstroom.

Garsies succeed Hoërskool Hans Moore as the champions of the prestigious competition.

When Saturday’s toss went Venter’s way, he elected to bowl first. It soon became apparent why, with the skipper inflicting the bulk of the damage done to the Dr Malan batting effort.

He was fired up, eager to play a major part in his final match for the Garsfontein 1st XI. He was also miserly, conceding only 17 runs from his 10 overs, and he did that while capturing four wickets to place Dokkies under severe pressure.

After 13.3 overs, the Meyerton side was wobbling on 44/4. They were in a hole, and they struggled to climb out of it, with Jared Carr knocking over 2/34 to lend his skipper crucial support.

Heindrich Jansen van Rensburg, with a fighting knock of 47, lifted Dr Malan’s spirits, while Adriaan Greyling weighed in with a battling 31 not out from 56 deliveries, which helped Dokkies to 154 all out, a total which, they hoped, would be enough to defend.

Van Zyl soon dispelled those thoughts, however. He opened the Garsies’ innings and got the Pretoria school off to a flyer. Racing along, he struck 12 fours and a six in a 58-ball stay that produced a decisive 85 runs.

Eventually, he lost his wicket, but that proved to be the only success for Dr Malan. It was Van Zyl’s third consecutive half-century, following similar successes in the quarter- and semi-finals.

When he departed, the hard work had already been done, with Van Zyl and his opening partner, Wikus du Preez sharing a 119-run stand for the first wicket. Although Du Preez played second fiddle, he played it superbly, feeding Van Zyl the strike, which allowed him to go after the Dokkies’ bowlers.

When the contest finished in the 22nd over, with Garsfontein winning by nine wickets, Du Preez was on 51 not out.

Fain Noordvaal u15 Final

The future looks bright for Potchefstroom Gimnasium, who were crowned the u15 champions after comfortably winning a low-scoring final against Hoërskool Kempton Park. It was the first time in four years that a team other than Garsfontein had lifted the title.

Batting first, Gimmies mustered only 134 all out, but they limited Kempies to just 92 all out in reply, winning by 42 runs.

Their winning total owed much to Heinru and Wico Cato, whose knocks of 42 and 24 respectively, gave their side sufficient runs to defend.  Heinru’s innings was a testament to his patience. Batting was not easy on Murray Oval, at St Alban’s, but he battled away for 108 balls. Wico, meanwhile, spent 52 balls in the middle.

Zian Ferero was the pick of the Kempton Park bowlers. He enjoyed the conditions and returned a tidy 3/20. Wico le Grange, with 2/11, and Hugo Wilbers, with 2/17, backed him up well.

Unfortunately for Kempies, Dian de Bruyn also took to the conditions with relish. In just 4.3 overs, he produced a match-winning spell of 4/14.

Tristan Brits offered a defiant 29 runs, but his departure was followed by a stunning batting collapse. Pieter Scholtz took 3/28 and Juvan Botes played his part with 2/15 to help De Bruyn to dismiss Kempton Park eight runs shy of 100.

It was a spectacular fall for Kempies, who lost their last seven wickets for only nine runs.

Summarised scorecards

Dr Malan 154 (Heindrich Jansen van Rensburg 47, Adriaan Greyling 31*; Xander Venter 4/17, Jared Carr 2/34); Garsfontein 155/1 (Reuben van Zyl 85, Wikus du Preez 51*; Heindrich Jansen van Rensburg 1/37). Garsfontein won by nine wickets. 

u15 Final

Potchefstroom Gimnasium 134 (Heinru Cato 42, Wico Cato 24; Zian Ferero 3/20, Wico le Grange 2/11, Hugo Wilbers 2/17); Hoërskool Kempton Park 92 (Tristan Brits 29; Dian de Bruyn 4/14, Pieter Scholtz 3/28, Juvan Botes 2/15). Potchefstroom Gimnasium won by 42 runs. 

In a slow- and low-scoring match dominated by the spin bowlers, Clifton College recorded a hard-fought 19-run win over Kearsney College at the Riverside Sports Club, in Durban, on Saturday.

The coin flip went Clifton’s way, and they opted to bat first, which worked out well, with Veer Ramouthar and Yusuf Ahmed compiling an opening stand of 52 before Ramouthar was caught by Cole Young off the bowling of Matthew Gorrie for 20.

The very next ball, Gorrie struck again, getting through the defences of Muhammed Malek.

Opening batsman, Yusuf Ahmed, stuck around a while longer and was eventually the third man out for the highest score of the match, 38 runs, the third of Matthew Gorrie’s victims. He had spent 70 balls at the crease and struck five fours.

Hayden Drieselmann, who had added 25 runs with Ahmed, followed two runs later for 17, LBW to Rivaan Moodley.

Shiraz Perumal followed for 13, bowled by Moodley. His exit, which left Clifton on 119/6, precipitated a collapse, which was brought about by Moodley and Matthew Rice, who shared the last four wickets between them.

Lawson Dinsdale doggedly resisted, taking 45 balls for his 16 runs before falling to Rice, but three of the last four batsmen were dismissed without scoring as Clifton tumbled to 128 all out after 43.3 overs.

Rice was the sharp point of the Kearsney attack, snapping up 4/25 in 9.3 overs, while Rivaan Moodley challenged the Clifton batsmen with his bounce and turn, capturing 3/29 in 10. Matthew Gorrie, who removed the top three in the Clifton batting order, finished with 3/41 from his 10.

Needing only 129 to win from 50 overs, Kearsney didn’t face a tough required run rate, but scoring was not easy on the Riverside Sports Club pitch, and it offered the spinners some bite and turn.

The tall left-arm spinner, Blake Johnson, took the new ball and struck quickly for Clifton, getting rid of Jason De Gryse and Cole Young cheaply. Caleb Naicker, meanwhile, chipped in with the wicket of Aaron Blackburn to leave Kearsney reeling on 18/3.

Rivaan Moodley and Asher Hollister halted the Clifton train for a while, though, combining for a fourth wicket partnership of 43 before Moodley was caught by Johnson off of his fellow leg-spinner, Shiraz Perumal for 33 from 51 deliveries, three of which he had hit for four.

Hollister and Jonty Wiggett tacked on another 21 runs before Wiggett was bowled by Keegan Watson for eight.

Hollister became the sixth man out, stumped by Dinsdale off the bowling of Perumal for 34. He had faced 55 balls and struck six fours. When Hollister departed, Kearsney had 94 runs on the scoreboard. They added only 15 more.

Perumal snared two of the remaining wickets, while Johnson and Watson nabbed one each as Kearsney’s run chase fell away and they slid to 109 all out in 31 overs.

The visitors’ downfall was the lack of support for the batting efforts of Moodley and Hollister. After those two batsmen, the next highest score was Wiggett’s eight.

Perumal and Johnson spearheaded the Clifton attack, with Perumal returning 4/26 from 10, while Johnson knocked back 3/36 from his 10. Keegan Watson chipped in with 2/18 in four as Clifton claimed a tightly contested 19-run victory.

Summarised scorecard

Clifton College 128/10 (Yusuf Ahmed 38, Veer Ramouthar 20; Matthew Rice 4/25, Rivaan Moodley 3/29, Matthew Gorrie 3/41); Kearsney College 109/10 (Asher Hollister 34, Rivaan Moodley 33; Shiraz Perumal 4/26, Blake Johnson 3/36, Keegan Watson 2/18). Clifton College won by 19 runs.

Rhys Wiblin and Ben Scharges constructed an unbeaten 89-run partnership to steer St Andrew’s College to a comprehensive nine-wicket win over Kingswood College in their Switch Schools SA20 – Volume Two contest at St Andrew’s on Friday.

The victory earned St Andrew’s a berth in the next round of the competition, scheduled for 15 November.

Kingswood called correctly at the toss and chose to bat first. but they struggled to establish a foothold and were dismissed for only 92 in 19.2 overs.

The hosts managed the conditions better and made light work of the chase, progressing smoothly to 96/1 in 17.4 overs.

Kingswood’s batting scorecard told the story of a side that failed to transfer pressure back onto the bowling side and establish themselves. Only four of their batsmen reached double figures.

Daniel Jakins led the scoring with a patient 21 from 22 balls. He helped to provide Kingswood with some stability and traction by partnering with Chad Roote, who made 16 from 29 deliveries, for a 33-run third-wicket partnership.

Thomas Bussiahn ended their contributions in decisive manner, however, dismissing the duo within the space of three deliveries.

Chris Zimmerman, with 14, and debutant, Simon Sheard, with 11, were the only other batters to reach double figures for Kingswood.

William Stevens played a big role in undermining Kingswood’s batting effort, capturing an outstanding 3/9 in three overs. He was well supported by Callum Taggart, James Badenhorst, and Thomas Bussiahn, who bagged a brace of wickets each.

Kingswood might have thought they were in with a shout when Sinawo Bukula grabbed Taggart’s wicket in the first over of the St Andrew’s innings. However, that turned out to be the visitors’ only scalp of the encounter.

Faced with a modest victory target, St Andrew’s could afford to be circumspect, and they calmly went about their business.

In 102 balls, Wiblin and Scharges shared an 89-run second-wicket stand, with Wiblin finishing on an unbeaten 34 off 47 balls, while Scharges top-scored with 46 not out from 56 deliveries.

Kingswood’s did themselves no favours by conceding twice as many extras as the hosts, with St Andrew’s giving up six while Kingswood conceded 12.

Summarised Scorecard

Kingswood 92/10 (Daniel Jakins 21, Chad Roote 16, Chris Zimmerman; William Stevens 3/9, Callum Taggart 2/3, James Badenhorst 2/11, Thomas Bussiahn 2/21). St Andrew’s College 96/1 (Ben Scharges 46*, Rhys Wiblin 34*; Sinawo Bukula 1/21, Edwin Geldenhuys 0/4). St Andrew’s College won by nine wickets.

For a second consecutive year, the Fain Noordvaal Series will crown a new champion.

In 2024, against the odds, Hoërskool Hans Moore, of Benoni, lifted the prestigious title for the first time in the school’s history.

On Saturday, the event’s surprise package, Hoërskool Dr Malan, will have a shot at a maiden title in the competition. The match will be played at St Alban’s College, in Pretoria.

Dokkies have waited 39 years but, at last, they’re through to the final for the first time since 1986, when the competition was known as the Administrators Trophy.

The Meyerton school has, however, never won the title. They went down to Polokwane’s Capricorn High in the 1986 final.

Their opponents in Saturday’s title game, the favoured and experienced Hoërskool Garsfontein, will be aiming to bring home the title for the first time since 2018, when they beat Hoërskool Waterkloof at Senwes Park, now known as the JB Marks Oval, in Potchefstroom.

Nevertheless, Garsies have qualified for a Noordvaal final for a fourth year in succession, with the u15s winning their age group title for three years on the trot, which means that all but one player in the Ysbere squad has lifted a Noordvaal trophy at some point.

Ironically, it’s Garsfontein’s most experienced player, Xander Venter, who has never laid hands on the elusive title.

Venter and Garsies’ batsmen have been in fine form leading up to the final. At the top of the order, Reuben van Zyl has been destructive, taking apart opposition bowling attacks while laying the foundation for his side’s successes.

His powerful onslaught in the semi-finals against Potchefstroom Gimnasium set the Ysbere on course to chase down 306 for victory with over 10 overs to spare. In the end, Garsfontein won by five wickets.

With a strong contingent of grade 12 learners playing their final game for the 1st XI on Saturday, the final takes on even greater significance for the Pretoria school.

A victory at St Alban’s would also seal an outstanding double in the Noordvaal region for Garsfontein as the Garsie Bere, the school’s 1st XV rugby side, won the SDC Noordvaal title at the end of August.

For Mr Leon Bantjes, that would be the cherry on top. The passionate Garsfontein Headmaster would love to see Venter and the 1st XI make the double a reality before Bantjes retires at the end of the year.

Despite carrying the label of underdogs, Dokkies are a dangerous opponent. They proved that in their previous two wins in the competition, including in a comfortable victory over Hoërskool Kempton Park in the semifinals a week ago.

Dr Malan also features some talented and experienced players. Luka Pretorius has been a leading performer for the side for a number of seasons already. However, in recent outings, it’s been Damian du Plessis and his batting form making headlines.

In the past two matches, Du Plessis has contributed 134 runs to Dr Malan’s victories. He poses a serious danger to Garsfontein’s title aspirations at the TC Mitchell Oval.

Dokkies’ old boys, umpire Marais Erasmus and Proteas men’s bowling coach, Piet Botha, will be keeping a close eye on proceedings on Saturday, hoping the boys from Meyerton pull off an upset victory and with that make history.

Junior Springbok captain Riley Norton will lead an exciting-looking SA u19 Academy team against France when the sides clash on Saturday in Châteauroux, approximately three hours’ drive south of Paris.

Norton (lock) will captain a side featuring four other players from the Junior Boks’ World Rugby U20 Championship-winning team in the first of two internationals on their European tour. The tour also includes a match against Ireland next week in Cork.

The other capped Junior Boks in the starting fifteen for Saturday are Oliver Reid (prop), Siphosethu Mnebelele (hooker) and Vusi Moyo (flyhalf), while Phiwayinkosi “Rambo” Kubheka (prop) will provide impact off the bench.

The SA u19s were given a taste of what to expect when they participated in a series of combined field sessions with the French u19 squad – who are also based at the French High-Performance Centre in Marcoussis – on Monday.

Junior Bok head coach Kevin Foote described Saturday’s match as a special occasion, with the clash seen in many ways as a curtain raiser to the much-anticipated blockbuster Test later Saturday evening in Paris between France and the Springboks.

Foote said his team would also use the match to honour Springbok captain Siya Kolisi, who will run out for his 100^th Test at the Stade de France.

“We want to play well for our country and play well for Siya, in particular, for appearing in his 100^th Test for the Springboks; and we want to honour him with our performance,” said Foote.

Regarding the selection for Saturday afternoon’s match day squad, which consists of 26 players, as agreed to by both teams, Foote said: “It’s always challenging with such a talented group, but there were three things we considered when selecting the group. The first thing was that we tracked the guys the whole year, in the FNB Varsity Cup and the SA Rugby u21 and u19 provincial competitions.

“We’ve also seen how they have committed to our programme and how they have settled down and fitted into how we want to play, and what our culture is. And then, of course, we took into consideration their performances in our ‘friendly match’ against France on Monday.”

The SA u19s had only a week to prepare in Stellenbosch before flying out to Paris last week, but Foote reckons that the group’s cohesion is developing nicely, which was something that he took into consideration when selecting the team for Saturday’s game in Châteauroux.

“We have a lot of data on the players, and we think combinations are important, plus we are building on those combinations all the time,” he said.

“We are looking forward to Saturday’s occasion, which will see a clash between two teams who are very proud to represent their country.”

The match in Châteauroux kicks off at 14:30 local time (15:30 SA time), and local organisers have confirmed that more than 7 000 tickets have already been sold.

SA u19 Academy team to face France u19 in Chateauroux

15 Akahluwa Boqwana (Vodacom Bulls)
14 Lindsey Jansen (Vodacom Bulls)
13 Khuthadzo Rasivhaga (Hollywoodbets Sharks)
12 Pieter van der Merwe (vice-captain, Vodacom Bulls)
11 Dylan Miller (DHL Western Province)
10 Vusi Moyo (Hollywoodbets Sharks)
9 Elgernon Meyer (Fidelity ADT Lions)
8 Reuben Kruger (DHL Western Province)
7 Aiden de Costa (DHL Western Province)
6 Kebotile Maake (Vodacom Bulls)
5 Riley Norton (captain, DHL Western Province)
4 Heinrich Theron (Vodacom Bulls)
3 Danie Kruger (DHL Western Province)
2 Siphosethu Mnebelele (Vodacom Bulls)
1 Oliver Reid (DHL Western Province)

Replacements
16 Liam van Wyk (Hollywoodbets Sharks)
17 Phiwayinkosi “Rambo” Kubheka (Hollywoodbets Sharks)
18 Ulrich van der Merwe (Hollywoodbets Sharks)
19 JD Hattingh (Fidelity ADT Lions)
20 Tom Barnard (DHL Western Province)
21 Vuyo Gwiji (Fidelity ADT Lions)
22 Luan Giliomee (Hollywoodbets Sharks)
23 Janco Purchase (Hollywoodbets Sharks)
24 Risima Khosa (Fidelity ADT Lions)
25 Brooklyn Newman (Vodacom Bulls)
26 Unathi Mlotshwa (Vodacom Bulls)

Issued by SA Rugby Communications