IRB Juniors
Curwin Bosch
The England Under 18 team on Saturday handed the SA Schools Under 18 side their first defeat in four years in the International Under 18 Series as they secured a 30-22 victory in a nail-biting encounter.
The big difference between the teams was England’s ability to convert their point-scoring chances into points, while mistakes at crucial times came at a high price for the hosts.
South Africa’s defeat followed a 40-15 victory against Wales at Outeniqua Park in George and a 28-13 victory against France respectively.
Outeniqua High School lock Eduard Zandberg will lead the SA Schools team in the final match of the SARU Under-18 International Series against England in Stellenbosch on Saturday.
The match will see the two remaining undefeated sides in the 2014 series face each other, while in other matches at Paul Roos Gymnasium’s Markötter Stadium, Italy will face a SARU Regional Academy XV and France will tussle with Wales.
SA Schools coach Hein Kriek and the national selectors made four changes to the side that overpowered Wales 40-15 at Outeniqua Park on Tuesday. Earlier in the series South Africa also beat France 28-13.
Winger Reuben Norville starred with a hat-trick of tries
The touring Scotland Under 19 development side opened their two-Test account with a convincing, five-try win over their Romanian counterparts at the Arcul de Triumf, Bucharest on Wednesday (31-3).
After what would turn out to be a relatively slow start, in which the side created a lot but finished little, the young Scots quickly found their feet and kicked into gear.
The SA Schools rugby team got off to a winning start in the SARU Under 18 International Series on Friday afternoon when they defeated France 28-13 at the City Park Stadium in Crawford, Cape Town.
They scored four converted tries, two in each half, to maintain their perfect record of the past four years against Northern Hemisphere opposition. In the earlier match, England managed to beat Wales 24-21.
Next Wednesday in George, the SA Schools will be in action against Wales while England face France, also at the Outeniqua Park Stadium.
SA Schools U18 (14) 28 / 13 (13) France U18 (Final Score)
The SA Schools Under 18 team and France Under 18 did battle in South Africa at
City Park Stadium, Cape Town at 16:00 SA Time (14:00 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 8 on TV in SA.
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Jaco Coetzee
Glenwood’s Jaco Coetzee has been selected to captain the SA Schools team for 2014 against France, Wales and England.
Their first match is against France at the City Park Stadium in Cape Town on 15 August, followed by Wales at Outeniqua Park in George on 19 August, and England at the Paul Roos Markötter grounds in Stellenbosch on 23 August.
This year’s SA Schools side will face France, Wales and England
SARU has announced a squad of 55 school boy rugby players to attend the SA Schools trials on Saturday, 26 July at the Barnard Stadium in Kempton Park, Johannesburg.
The SA Schools trial squad was selected by the national selectors following the conclusion of the Under-18 Coca-Cola Craven Week in Middelburg.
Rassie Erasmus at the 2014 Craven Week
Rassie Erasmus’ biggest role as high performance manager is to implement Heyneke Meyer’s plans across the board.
Erasmus, widely praised for his work in turning Western Province rugby around, was spotted at the Coca-Cola Craven Week in Middelburg. Having joined Saru as high performance manager in April 2012, Erasmus has been working tirelessly to implement a new structure in South African rugby, building a team of coaches, analysts and medical staff that can help develop the country’s best young talent into potential Springbok candidates. Craven Week plays an integral role in this development, something that Erasmus is well aware of.
Dawie Theron
The Northern Hemisphere has had a distinct advantage going into the annual Junior World Championship, but that may soon evaporate.
South African Under 20 coach, Dawie Theron, said discussions are underway to organise a four-nations Rugby Championship style tournament for juniors.
The reason is that when the Six Nations teams – England, Wales, Ireland, Scotland, France and Italy – get into the play-offs of the IRB JWC they have the experience of a tough competition to fall back on.
Handré Pollard
South Africa Under 20 captain Handré Pollard won a consolation prize for his team when he was named the IRB Junior Player of the Year.
This followed after England were crowned IRB Junior World Champions for 2014, beating South Africa 21-20 in a pulsating Final at Eden Park in Auckland on Friday.
Finalists South Africa and England each had a player nominated – in Baby Bok captain Pollard and wing Nathan Earle respectively, with Ireland centre Garry Ringrose and New Zealand wing Tevita Li completing the shortlist of players.
England Under 20 retained their title as the IRB’s Junior World Champions when they edged their South African counterparts 21-20 in Auckland on Friday.
It was far from a clinical display. In fact it was a typical Final – in which there was good and bad kicking, handling errors, moments of sublime brilliance and a few poor options.
However, it was a great and enthralling encounter to watch, as two of the giants of the junior game went head-to-head.
In the end England deserved the win, if only because they made fewer errors and managed to overcome their soft moments better than the Baby Boks did.
Two of the key aspects were the line-outs, where JD Schickerling reigned supreme, and the kicking game – with Handré Pollard and Warrick Gelant’s boots just so much more accurate and secure.
However, errors limited the Baby Boks’ ability to capitalise on their superiority on those departments.
Junior Springboks (10) 20 / 21 (11) England (Final Score)
The South African Junior Springboks and England Under 20 did battle in the 2014 FINAL of the IRB Junior World Championship at
Eden Park, Auckland at 09:35 SA Time (19:35 NZ Time, 08:35 BST, 07:35 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1, SHD & CSN on TV in SA.
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Captains Maro Itoje (England) & Handré Pollard (South Africa) holding the IRB Junior World Championship trophy
Dan Kriel will play on the right wing for the Junior Springboks in the IRB Junior World Championship final against England on Friday night at Eden Park in Auckland.
His inclusion in place of Lloyd Greeff is the only tweak to the team that beat New Zealand in a dramatic semi-final last Sunday in North Harbour.
The versatile Kriel, twin brother of outside centre Jesse Kriel, is preferred in the starting line-up because of his huge work rate on defence.
Abongile Nonkontwana
The Baby Boks will be up against the tournament’s other big boys as they prepare for a forward dominated Final in the Junior World Championship.
England cruised to the Final by destroying Ireland in the semifinal with their sizable forwards and impressive set pieces.
The monstrous English Under 20’s play a game that is not to far from the South African’s one, relying on a good platform to be set by the forwards as they physically dominate their opposition.
The question come Friday will be: which pack can destroy the other enough to swing the game in their favour?
The South Africans forwards have impressed throughout the tournament, most evidentially in their two victories against the hosts, New Zealand.
Handré Pollard
The International Rugby Board has confirmed the shortlist of four nominees for the prestigious Award, with the winner set to be announced following the Junior World Championship final at Eden Park in Auckland on Friday.
Finalists South Africa and England each have a player nominated in captain Pollard and wing Nathan Earle respectively, with Ireland centre Garry Ringrose and New Zealand wing Tevita Li completing the quartet of players.
The management of the 12 teams involved in the IRB Junior World Championship of 2014 in New Zealand voted on their top three players after each round with votes tallied to provide the shortlist of nominees.
The public now has the chance to vote on this shortlist on the official Facebook page www.facebook.com/irbjuniors. The results of the public poll will be considered, along with the original votes, when finalising the winner.
The Semi-Final Play-off Round of the IRB Junior World Championship is a thing of the past, with South Africa Under 20 and England Under 20 advancing to contest the FINAL and leaving Ireland Under 20 and New Zealand Under 20 to contest for 3rd place.
South Africa, the top seeds, beat New Zealand by 32 / 25 in a hard-fought game, socring the winning try with 2 minutes left on the clock.
England trounced Ireland by 42 / 15 and of course is the defending champions, looking to successfully defend their title.
Other results:
- France beat Wales 19 / 18
- Australia demolished Samoa by 53 / 16
- Scotland narrowly beat Italy by 21 / 18
- Argentina saw off Fiji by 38 / 12
South Africa U20 (10) 32 / 25 (15) New Zealand U 20 (Final Score)
The Junior Springboks and Baby Blacks did battle in the one semi-final of the 2014 Junior World Championship at
QBE Stadium, Albany, Auckland at 09:35 SA Time (19:35 NZ Time, 07:35 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & SHD on TV in SA.
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Handré Pollard
Junior Springbok captain Handré Pollard will be hoping to continue his unbeaten run against the Baby Blacks when they square off in their semifinal on Sunday.
The Bulls flyhalf has not lost to the New Zealand Under-20 side in three previous encounters and will play in his third consecutive semifinal after making his Junior World Championship debut in 2012 on home soil in South Africa. In 2012 he won the JWC title as a schoolboy while last year he was in the exciting Junior Boks team that finished third in France.
The South Africans head into the game with something of a psychological advantage having beaten the Baby Blacks in the pool stage last week, and they will have to repeat that this weekend if they are to progress to the final at Eden Park.
Simon Hickey injured
New Zealand’s Under 20 side has been dealt a blow with captain Simon Hickey out for the remainder of the Junior World Championship.
The play-maker has been instrumental for the Under 20 host nation along side his Blues Super Rugby team-mate, Tevita Li.
Hickey came off in the second half of New Zealand’s final pool match against Scotland on Tuesday with an ankle pain.
Dawie Theron
The Junior Springboks finished top of pool C at the IRB Junior World Championship in New Zealand on Tuesday, beating a spirited Samoa 21-8 in Pukekohe. Samoa had a 8-7 lead at the break.
The South Africans scored three tries, two of them in the second half, as they battled poor playing conditions and a very committed Samoan team to finish as the top qualifier at the tournament.
It was a frustrating evening for the Junior Boks, who lacked the sharpness and edge that highlighted their play against New Zealand on Friday. They could not execute on a number of occasions, but finished strongly.
The South Africans were held over the line on three occasions, lost the ball over the line twice and had two penalties to the poles drifted wide.
All Blacks U20 (21) 54 / 7 (0) Scotland U20 (Final Score)
New Zealand Under 20 and Scotland Under 20 did battle in the Junior World Championship at
ECOLight Stadium, Pukekohe at 09:35 SA Time (19:35 NZ Time, 08:35 BST, 07:35 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & SHD on TV in SA.
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Samoa U20 (8) 8 / 21 (7) Junior Springboks (Final Score)
Samoa Under 20 and South Africa Under 20 did battle in the Junior World Championship at
ECOLight Stadium, Pukekohe at 07:35 SA Time (17:35 NZ Time, 05:35 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & SHD on TV in SA.
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Jesse & Dan Kriel with Dawie Theron
Junior Springboks coach Dawie Theron has selected his strongest available starting line-up for the final Pool C Junior World Championship match against Samoa on Tuesday in Pukekohe.
The match at the Ecolight Stadium will kick off at 07h35 SA time and will be televised live on SuperSport.
Theron has again shuffled his match 23 and retained only six players who outplayed New Zealand 33-24 last Friday in Albany, Auckland.
Arno van Wyk
Vodacom Blue Bulls Under 21 hooker Arno van Wyk has joined the Junior Springboks in Auckland after a knee injury forced Malcolm Marx (Golden Lions) out of the IRB Junior World Championship.
Marx might be out of action for up to six weeks after he sustained the injury during a training session earlier in the week.
The burly Johannesburg-based hooker became the second Junior Bok to be ruled out of Junior World Championship 2014 after centre Rohan Janse van Rensburg returned home with an ankle injury.
Jean Luc du Preez, who received a nasty blow to the head against New Zealand Under-20 on Friday night, was meanwhile released from hospital during the early hours of Saturday morning.
The IRB Junior World Championships are underway in New Zealand.
Rugby-Talk will update the Results and Logs on a regular basis.
The Tournament started on 2 June 2014 and will run till 20 June 2014.
The Big winner in Round 2, on Friday 6 June was South Africa’s Junior Springboks, who beat the Junior All Blacks in their backyard, by 33 / 24. The Junior Springboks scored 4 tries to boot, earning them a vital bonus point going forward, whilst the Junior All Blacks earned no Log Points at all, making it an uphill battle for them to even reach the semi-finals, as only one 2nd placed team in all Pools will go through to the semi-finals with the 3 respective Pool winners.
Day 3 of the tournament is on Tuesday 10 June.
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Junior All Blacks (17) 24 / 33 (14) Junior Springboks (Final Score)
New Zealand Under 20 and South Africa Under 20 did battle in the 2014 Junior World Championships at
QBE Stadium, Albany, Auckland at 09:35 SA Time (19:35 NZ Time, 07:35 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & SHD on TV in SA.
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Simon Hickey
New Zealand Under 20 head coach Chris Boyd has made three changes to the starting line-up to face South Africa on Friday.
Boyd said that the match against Samoa proved a good confidence booster for the start of their JWC campaign but there had been areas of their game with which they were not happy.
“We’ve had a good review of that game, and we know what worked well, and what didn’t work as well as it was supposed to,” said Boyd.
Jesse & Dan Kriel with Dawie Theron
Powerfully built twins Jesse and Dan Kriel will play alongside each other in the midfield for the Baby Boks against the New Zealand Under 20’s.
Injury to four players has forced Theron to reshuffle his match 23 after the Junior Boks scored a convincing 61-5 win over Scotland.
Midfielders Rohan Janse van Rensburg (ankle), Andre Esterhuizen (head blow) and flank Jacques Vermeulen (ankle) were all ruled out of selection because of injuries sustained against the Scots.
On Thursday, Golden Lions hooker Malcolm Marx was also ruled out of action for several weeks after he had suffered a knee injury during a training session.
Dawie Theron
The Junior Springboks suffered a huge injury setback on Tuesday with the news that three players were ruled out of their vital IRB Junior World Championship Pool C clash against New Zealand this coming Friday.
Midfielder Rohan Janse van Rensburg, who came on as second half replacement against Scotland in the JWC opener at the QBE Stadium in North Harbour on Monday, will return home after he sustained an ankle injury in the match. He will be replaced by Duhan van der Merwe, a SA Sevens contracted player and a member of the Baby Boks’ training group.
Powerful inside centre Andre Esterhuizen was ruled out of action for the next couple of days after receiving a blow to the head in the second half against the Scots. He will not be considered for the New Zealand clash. The team’s medical staff is currently managing him according to the Graduated Return to Play Protocol (GRTP).
The third casualty is flank Jacques Vermeulen. The Cape-based loose forward is also suffering from an ankle injury and has been ruled out of Friday’s encounter.
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Handré Pollard
The Junior Springboks were off to an impressive start at the Junior World Championships in New Zealand.
The Junior Springboks opened their IRB Junior World Championship with an impressive 61-5 win over Scotland at the QBE Stadium, North Harbour in New Zealand on Monday.
The South Africans scored nine tries, with good improvement in all phases of play as the match progressed.
The IRB Junior World Championships are underway in New Zealand.
Rugby-Talk will update the Fixtures and Results on a regular basis.
The Tournament started on 2 June 2014 and will run till 20 June 2014.
As expected, the “Big Guns” all started with wins on the 1st day of the Tournament.
Day 2 of the tournament is on Friday 6 June.
Daniel du Preez
Injured Sharks lock Daniel du Preez has been withdrawn from the South African Under-20 squad that will travel to New Zealand on Monday for the upcoming IRB Junior World Championship (JWC).
The 18-year old former SA Schools player is replaced by Johannes Vermeulen of Western Province.
Handré Pollard
South Africa Under 20 captain Handré Pollard has not been able to participate in the team’s build-up to the IRB World Junior Championship.
The tournament will be stage in New Zealand next month.
Despite the absence of two key players, Pollard (Bulls) and Thomas du Toit (Sharks), Baby Bok coach Dawie Theron is not concerned.
Pollard and Du Toit have been on Super Rugby duty.