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 Junior Springbok squad for the forthcoming World Rugby Under-20 Championship in Cape Town was announced, with Zachary Porthen – one of five players who will feature in the tournament for a second time – named as the captain of the team.
The World Rugby U20 Championship returns to South Africa in June and July when the 12 best Under-20 teams will battle it out for global supremacy.
Junior Springbok head coach Bafana Nhleko praised the character and fighting spirit of the South African Under-20 team after they staged a successful comeback to beat Argentina in a pulsating U20 Rugby Championship match at the Sunshine Coast Stadium in Bokarina, Queensland in Australia on Sunday.
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.
JF van Heerden will captain a Junior Springbok side showing several changes when they take on Australia in the second round of the Under-20 Rugby Championship at the Sunshine Coast Stadium in Bokarina, Queensland on Tuesday.
It was not the result they wanted, but the Junior Springboks were happy with the effort and learnings from their U20 Rugby Championship opener played in very difficult conditions against a strong New Zealand Under-20 side in Australia.
Zachary Porthen will lead the Junior Springboks against New Zealand on Thursday, in the opening round of the inaugural Under-20 Rugby Championship at the Sunshine Coast Stadium in Bokarina, Queensland in Australia.
When the Junior Springboks open their Under-20 Rugby Championship campaign against New Zealand at the Sunshine Coast Stadium on Thursday, they will have the benefit of calling on the calmness of towering lock JF van Heerden.
The Junior Springboks wrapped up their preparations for the forthcoming Under-20 Rugby Championship with a training session against the Golden Lions Under-21 squad in Sandton on Tuesday and will fly out to Australia on an early evening flight on Wednesday.