SA Under-20 coach Dawie Theron has made nine changes to his team to take on Ireland in their second Pool C match at the 2011 IRB Junior World Championship in Treviso on Tuesday at 20:10 .
Sport24
The SA Under-20s started their campaign on a winning note when they defeated Scotland 33-0 in their opening World Champs match, played in Padova on Friday night.
“We’ve made quite a number of changes to our starting line-up for this match, but with the structure and format of the tournament, it’s going to be vital that teams have 22 players fresh and ready for a further four matches which is played every fourth day,” said Theron.
“It’s going to be important to see how this team selected for the Ireland game adapts to the pressures of the IRB Junior World Championship. It’s going to be a great chance for the guys who didn’t get a hit out against Scotland to put their hands up for selection for the remaining matches.
“Scotland challenged us up front, and we were happy that we managed to keep them scoreless. Ireland though will pose a completely different threat. They are strong with the ball in hand, and were in the game against England right until the end.
“But our focus this week is picking up from where we left off against Scotland. We want to simply our structure of play and ensure that some of our strengths are properly utilized against Ireland. It’s going to be tight – Ireland are always passionate, and they’ll have the crowd behind them as they did on Friday night against England – but for us, it’s going to be about ticking our own boxes, the first of which is four points on Tuesday night.”
Theron has selected a new front row which will see props Stephan Kotze and John Roy Jenkinson join hooker Micheal van Vuuren in the scrum.
Nineteen year old MTN Golden Lions lock Ruan Venter will team up with Eben Etzebeth, while captain Arno Botha will lead a new loose-forward trio which include Cornell du Preez and Nizaam Carr.
Scrumhalf Lohan Jacobs will earn his fourth SA Under-20 cap on Tuesday when the Baby Boks face Ireland. The Vodacom Blue Bulls No 9 comes into the starting lineup in place of Pieter Rademan who shifts to the bench, as does centre Paul Jordaan, who makes way for Bradley Moolman.
The other change in the starting team is at wing where Courtnall Skosan earns his first SA U20 cap in place of Springbok Sevens talent Tshotsho Mbovane.
South Africa – Ulrich Beyers, Courtnall Skosan, Bradley Moolman, Francois Venter, Wandile Mjekevu, Johan Goosen, Lohan Jacobs, Arno Botha (c), Cornell du Preez, Nizaam Carr, Eben Etzebeth, Ruan Venter, John Roy Jenkinson, Micheal van Vuuren, Stephan Kotze
Substitutes: Bongi Mbonambi, Nic Schonert, Jean Cook, Siyamthanda Kolisi, Pieter Rademan, John Welthagen, Paul Jordaan.