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Dawie Theron, the South Africa Under-20 coach, has named the starting line-up of the SA U20 training group for their last practice match against the University of Cape Town on Saturday afternoon.

The match against the Ikeys, the last in a series of three such matches against Western Cape-based university sides, is scheduled to kick off at 16:00 at Brookside in Claremont, Cape Town.

As part of their extensive training camp, which ends on Saturday, the squad previously played against the University of the Western Cape and Maties in Stellenbosch.

Of the 34 players that originally assembled in Stellenbosch last week, six have since left the camp for Vodacom Super Rugby or Springbok Sevens duty.

Justin Geduld, Cheslin Kolbe and Seabelo Senatla were all selected for the Blitzbokke for the forthcoming HSBC Sevens World Series tournaments in Wellington and Las Vegas.

The trio of Handré Pollard, Jan Serfontein and Jacques du Plessis returned to Pretoria on Wednesday straight after the Maties game to continue with the Vodacom Bulls’ Super Rugby preparations.

Meanwhile, Johnny Kotze, the Maties centre who previously played for the SA Schools Academy side and was a member of last year’s SA Under-20 training group, was added to the current training squad and is on the reserves bench against UCT.

Dries Swanepoel (inside centre) has shrugged off his ankle niggle which kept him on the side-line against the Maties and he will play in the No 12 jersey on Saturday. With Pollard back in Pretoria, Robert du Preez now gets a chance to start at flyhalf.
 
The SA U20 training squad line-up against UCT on Saturday is:

15. Tim Swiel
14. Luther Obi
13. Tyler Fisher
12. Dries Swanepoel
11. JP Lewis
10. Robert du Preez
9. Percy Williams
8. Ruan Steenkamp
7. Roelof Smit
6. Albertus Smit
5. Marvin Orie (captain)
4. Irné Herbst
3. Marné Coetzee
2. Jacques du Toit
1. Sti Sithole

All the remaining squad members will be on the reserves bench.

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Junior Springbok coach Dawie Theron has confirmed the starting line-up for the SA Under-20 training squad’s match on Wednesday morning against Maties in Stellenbosch.

The training match is the second of three outings against Western Cape-based university sides and is an integral part of the squad’s two week training and planning camp in Cape Town.

Tomorrow’s match will kick off at 10:00 at the Markötter Sports Ground, Paul Roos Gymnasium in Stellenbosch.

The 34 players have been together since last week and will end their camp with a final clash against the University of Cape Town on Saturday.

Meanwhile, three squad members who were in action last Friday against UWC, Cheslin Kolbe (fullback), Justin Geduldt (centre) and Seabelo Senatla (wing), have all returned to the Springbok Sevens squad to resume with preparations for next week’s HSBC Sevens World Series tournament in Wellington.

Outside centre Jan Serfontein and flyhalf Handré Pollard will also return to Pretoria to join the Vodacom Bulls after tomorrow’s clash.

Theron and his coaching staff made six changes to last week’s starting line-up. Justin Forwood (prop), Ruan Steenkamp (flank) and Roelof Smit (No 8) all get a starting place amongst the forwards, while JP Lewis (left wing), Sylvian Mahuza (outside centre) and Tim Swiel (fullback) are the new starters amongst the backs.

Regarding team selection, Theron again reiterated that everyone in the 34 man training group will get a chance to play.

“The match against UWC was a very useful exercise for us last week,” said Theron.

“However, the game against the Maties will severely test the character of this group. Maties always field a formidable line-up and it will be a good opportunity for us to test a number of aspects of our game plan that we have been working on.”

The SA U20 training squad’s starting line-up against Maties:

15.   Tim Swiel
14.   Luther Obi
13.   Sylvian Mahuza
12.   Jan Serfontein
11.   JP Lewis
10.   Handré Pollard
9.       Hanco Venter
8.       Roelof Smit
7.       Jacques du Plessis
6.       Ruan Steenkamp
5.       Marvin Orie
4.       Irnè Herbst
3.       Luan de Bruin
2.       Jacques du Toit
1.       Justin Forwood

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The South African Under-18 men’s team won the Sevens gold medal at the 2013 Australian Youth Olympic Festival in Sydney on Saturday morning (SA time) after defeating host nation Australia 22-7 in the final.

Earlier in the day the SA U18 Women’s team finished in a credible fourth position after losing their bronze medal playoff match 27-0 against Japan, while Tonga was awarded bronze in the men’s division following their 26-0 win over Japan.

In the men’s final, South Africa scored two tries in each half through Duhan van der Merwe, Lungelo Gosa, Warrick Gelant and Ryan Oosthuizen while Harry Jones crossed over for Australia’s only converted try in the first half. SA led 12-7 at halftime.

Marius Schoeman, the SA U18 team manager and assistant coach, said the SA boys’ willingness to implement their game plan was a key factor in their successful gold medal onslaught. “The boys worked extremely hard, they were really eager to listen and to implement the game plan and a lot of credit must go to coach Neil Powell and his management for the team’s very thorough preparation.

“It was an excellent team effort from everyone involved and we can be proud of the boy’s efforts,” added Schoeman, a former Blitzbokke veteran.

Rugby Sevens is one of 17 sports at the 2013 Australian Youth Olympic Festival taking place in Sydney from 16 – 20 January.

The Australian Youth Olympic Festival takes place every four years and features 17 sports, with Rugby Sevens enjoying its first year of competition this year.

The Rugby Sevens tournament featured eight nations on both the men’s and the women’s side of the competition with a total 192 athletes who travelled to Sydney for the event.

Earlier in the day the South African boys stormed into the final with a comprehensive 68-0 win over Japan.

The SA Under-18 Women’s team can be pleased with their fourth position in their first international outing after they lost their bronze medal match against Japan.

In their first outing of the day, the girls produced a brave performance in their 14-17 quarter-final loss against Japan. They were however rewarded for their efforts by securing a semi-final spot as the best losing qualifier.

Hosts Australia won this semi-final clash 38-7 to clinch a final spot, which meant SA had to play Japan for a third time in two days, this time for the bronze medal.

Denver Wannies, the SA U18 Women coach, said afterwards he was pleased with the overall performance of the team in their debut overseas tournament.

“Many of the girls have not even travelled beyond their home provinces and for them to come to Australia and be in contention for a bronze medal is amazing.  If you take into account that we had a 15 year-old and mostly 16 year-old girls in our squad, then it is clear that we have the basis of a promising squad for the future,” said Wannies.

The teams return to South Africa on Monday morning.

The SA Under-18 Sevens squads are:

Men: Lungelo Gosa (Border), EW Viljoen, Marius Louw (both Free State), Matjikinyane Molapo (Limpopo), Willandre Kotzenberg (Pumas), Warrick Gelant, Duhan van der Merwe, Dewald Human (all South Western Districts), Gerhardus Labuschagne (Valke), Ryan Oosthuizen, TJ Goddard, Dennis Cox (all Western Province).

Women: Ntsako Faith Tshauke (Blue Bulls), Micaela Witbooi, Kirsten Conrad (both Boland), Lusanda Dumke, Simamkele Namba, Asisipho Dotwana (all Border), Bonakele Sibiya (Golden Lions), Mandy Mhlongo (KwaZulu-Natal), Christal Williams, Atheana Botha (both South Western Districts), Kimico Manuel, Tatum Daniels (both Western Province).

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The South African Under-18 Men’s team dominated the first day of the sevens competition of the 2013 Australian Youth Olympic Festival, held at the St Ignatius College on Friday morning in Sydney (SA time).

The team was ranked first after an impressive unbeaten run on match day one after registering four comprehensive victories and only conceding two tries, against hosts Australia, in their last encounter of the day. Topping the standings means the SA team will get a bye straight to the semi-finals on Saturday and is within reach of a medal.

The SA Under-18 Men’s team, coached by former Springbok Sevens star Neil Powell, scored comprehensive wins over Japan (58-0), Tonga (38-0), China (73-0) and Australia (30-12) to top the rankings.

Marius Schoeman, team manager and assistant coach, praised the excellent team effort of the promising squad.

“The guys stuck to the basics and executed our game plan very well, but there is always room for improvement,” said Schoeman, a former Blitzbokke veteran.

“Our aim is to win the tournament. However, the guys have their feet firmly on the ground and realise they have a huge task ahead of them tomorrow.”

The SA U18 Women’s team, who played in their first ever overseas tournament, finished fourth overall to qualify for a quarterfinal match against Japan on Saturday. Featuring a young team consisting of mostly Under-16 players, the SA team stumbled in their first two matches, losing 32-0 against Japan and 52-7 against Australia before bouncing back to register their first win of the day against Tonga (38-0).

Although they lost their final group match 41-0 against China, South Africa still managed to finish fourth on the overall log and will play against Japan on Saturday in the playoffs for semi-final spot.

Bonakele Sibiya of the Golden Lions created a bit of local history when she became the first player to score a try for the SA U18 Women on foreign soil. Her effort was South Africa’s only reply in their 52-7 loss against tournament host and favourites, Australia.

Denver Wannies, the SA Under-18 Women’s coach, said afterwards his team was overwhelmed by the occasion. They did manage to regain some composure, which resulted in a morale-boosting win over Tonga.

“This tournament is the first overseas experience for our young team and they were overawed in the first two games,” explained to Wannies.

“Our concentration was much better in our third match against Tonga. Tomorrow we have a good chance to test ourselves against a very skilful Japan team.”

The SA U18 men’s results on Day 1:SA 58, Japan 0
SA 38, Tonga 0
SA 73, China 0
SA 30, Australia 12

The SA Under-18 women’s results on Day 1:SA 0, Japan 32
SA 7, Australia 52
SA 38, Tonga 0
SA 0, China 41

The SA Under-18 Sevens squads are:

Men: Lungelo Gosa (Border), EW Viljoen, Marius Louw (both Free State), Matjikinyane Molapo (Limpopo), Willandre Kotzenberg (Pumas), Warrick Gelant, Duhan van der Merwe, Dewald Human (all South Western Districts), Gerhardus Labuschagne (Valke), Ryan Oosthuizen, TJ Goddard, Dennis Cox (all Western Province).

Women: Ntsako Faith Tshauke (Blue Bulls), Micaela Witbooi, Kirsten Conrad (both Boland), Lusanda Dumke, Simamkele Namba, Asisipho Dotwana (all Border), Bonakele Sibiya (Golden Lions), Mandy Mhlongo (KwaZulu-Natal), Christal Williams, Atheana Botha (both South Western Districts), Kimico Manuel, Tatum Daniels (both Western Province).

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Wildeklawer SuperSchools will be bigger and better in 2013. The prestigious tournament will be hosted by Maritzburg College in Pietermaritzburg from 2 until 4 May. The hosts are celebrating their 150th anniversary this year and will also play in the main match of the tournament against Framesby from Port Elizabeth.

The hosts will play Paul Roos Gimnasium from Stellenbosch in their first match of the tournament. Waterkloof and Outeniqua will clash in the main match of the first day. Matches on the first day to look forward to is Glenwood vs. Boland Landbou and Maritzburg College vs. Paul Roos Gimnasium.

On the second day the clash between Grey College and Monument might be one of the highlights of the 2013 edition of Wildeklawer SuperSchools. The match between Paul Roos Gimnasium and Affies also promises to be one of the highlights. Paul Roos Gimnasium managed to beat Affies for the first time in five years during last year’s Wildeklawer SuperSchools in Kimberley.

New attendees for 2013 are Noord-Kaap (Kimberley), Drostdy THS and Grey Boys’ High School (Port Elizabeth).

The fixtures:

2 May 2013

07:50 – EG Jansen vs. Noord-Kaap
09:00 – Glenwood vs. Boland Landbou
10:10 – Drostdy THS vs. Monument
11:20 – Grey College vs. Oakdale Landbou
12:30 – Diamantveld vs. Grey Boys’ High School
13:40 – Paarl Gimnasium vs. Wildeklawer XV
14:50 – Maritzburg College vs. Paul Roos Gimnasium
16:00 – Outeniqua HS vs. Waterkloof

B-field

10:10 – Affies vs. Framesby
11:20 – Paarl Boys’ High vs. Sharks Invitational XV

4 May 2013

07:50 – Oakdale Landbou vs. Sharks Invitational XV
09:00 – Waterkloof vs. Paarl Gimnasium
10:10 – Diamantveld vs. EG Jansen
11:20 – Glenwood vs. Paarl Boys’ High
12:30 – Boland Landbou vs. Noord-Kaap
13:40 – Affies vs. Paul Roos Gimnasium
14:50 – Monument vs. Grey College
16:00 – Maritzburg College vs. Framesby

B-field

10:10 – Grey Boys’ High School vs. Outeniqua HS
11:20 – Wildeklawer XV vs. Drostdy THS

By Hannes Nienaber

The future of South African Sevens rugby will be on show in Sydney next week when two Under-18 teams for men and women, consisting of 12 players each, will take part in the annual Australian Youth Olympic Festival (AYOF) on 18 and 19 January.

It’s the first time ever that a South African U18 women’s team will play abroad, with Sevens making its debut at the AYOF after the sport was included in the Olympic Games for 2016.

A total of 30 nations will take part in 17 sporting codes utilising most of the venues used during the Olympic Games in Sydney in 2000.

The men’s side will be coached by former Springbok Sevens captain Neil Powell, with the current SARU Manager of the SA Sevens Academy and Elite Player Development Marius Schoeman, one of the most experienced Springbok Sevens players ever, joining as team manager.

Three players in the men’s team, Duhan van der Merwe, Matjikinyane Molapo and Warrick Gelant, played for the SA Schools team last year.

Denver Wannies, coach of the senior South African Women’s team, will coach the U18 women, with former SA Women’s captain, Nomsebenzi Tsotsobe, travelling with the squad as team manager.

“This is a fantastic opportunity for our upcoming Sevens stars to showcase their talent on the international stage and to experience competition at this level,” said SARU CEO Jurie Roux.

“These players are still very young, but with the Olympic Games in Brazil more than three years away, it’s not impossible to see some of them feature in Rio de Janeiro in 2016.

“Expanding the base of Sevens players in South Africa with an eye on the Olympics is one of the reasons why we decided to send these teams to Australia and I have a lot of confidence in the players and management.”

Both squads will leave for Australia on Sunday, 13 January, following camps in Stellenbosch (boys) and Cape Town (girls) this week. They will return on 21 January.

The SA Under-18 Sevens squads are:

Men: Lungelo Gosa (Border), EW Viljoen, Marius Louw (both Free State), Matjikinyane Molapo (Limpopo), Willandre Kotzenberg (Pumas), Warrick Gelant, Duhan van der Merwe, Dewald Human (all South Western Districts), Gerhardus Labuschagne (Valke), Ryan Oosthuizen, TJ Goddard, Dennis Cox (all Western Province).

Women: Ntsako Faith Tshauke (Blue Bulls), Micaela Witbooi, Kirsten Conrad (both Boland), Lusanda Dumke, Simamkele Namba, Asisipho Dotwana (all Border), Bonakele Sibiya (Golden Lions), Mandy Mhlongo (KwaZulu-Natal), Christal Williams, Atheana Botha (both South Western Districts), Kimico Manuel, Tatum Daniels (both Western Province).

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