Damian Markus will earn a first start for the Junior Springboks against England on Friday, while SA U20 head coach Bafana Nhleko was also forced to make a few changes due to injuries for their World Rugby U20 Championship third place playoff at Athlone Stadium in Cape Town.
Junior Springbok coach Bafana Nhleko says beating England in the bronze final at the 2023 World Rugby U20 Championship on Friday will be a huge motivating factor for them in the next couple of days.
SA U20 captain Paul de Villiers says there are no external pressures on them to reach the final when they meet Ireland in the World Rugby U20 Championship semi-finals at Athlone Stadium in Cape Town on Sunday.
The Junior Springboks will face Ireland with an unchanged match day squad in the first semi-final of the World Rugby U20 Championships at Athlone Stadium in Cape Town on Sunday afternoon.
Junior Springbok head coach Bafana Nhleko said the tough route into the semi-finals of the World Rugby U20 Championship will benefit his squad going into Sunday's playoff encounter against Ireland.
The Junior Springboks secured their place in the semi-finals of the World Rugby U20 Championship with a superb second half performance by grinding out a 24-16 victory over Argentina on a cold and windy night at Athlone Stadium in Cape Town.
Junior Springbok captain Paul de Villiers is eagerly anticipating his team’s third and final, must-win Pool C clash against Argentina in the 2023 World Rugby Under-20 Championship at Athlone Stadium on Tuesday.
Flyhalf Jean Smith - the Junior Springboks leading scorer in their 2023 World Rugby Under-20 Championship campaign - will resume his role as the starting No 10 when South Africa take on Argentina at Athlone Stadium in Cape Town on Tuesday.
Junior Springbok head coach Bafana Nhleko and captain Paul de Villiers believe that the Junior Boks can bounce back from the defeat to Italy to qualify for the World Rugby U20 Championship semi-finals.
The Junior Springboks plan to deliver an energetic effort at Paarl Gymnasium on Thursday, where they will take on Italy in their second Pool C match of the 2023 World Rugby Under-20 Championship.