IRB Juniors
There are three categories of team involved in Monday’s first round of knock-out matches – the four with a chance of being champions, the next four with only pride at stake, and the bottom four desperate to avoid relegation.
The top four are playing semifinals while Fiji, Georgia, Italy and Scotland battle to avoid relegation, especially vital for Italy as their are the 2020 host nation.
Of the top four, South Africa, who are the only unbeaten side in the tournament, Australia and Argentina were winners of their pool. France, who are the reigning champions, were statistically the best of the other nine teams
The semis will be played at the Hipódromo, the stadium next to the racecourse at the Jockey Club in Rosario.
The Old Resians Club – a generous place as is the case with the great clubs of Argentina – was founded for the past pupils of Rosario English School – hence the RES of Resians. It is now the San Bartolomé School.
For Wales under-20s lock Teddy Williams, a World Rugby Championship match with Argentina was not even his hardest test of the day.
Tackles and mauls were the stress relief for 18-year-old Williams, one of three members of the Wales under-20 side who is balancing the World Rugby U20 Championship with their A-level exams.
Williams, a pupil at Cardiff Welsh medium school Ysgol Glantaf, sat chemistry in the morning, was driven hastily across the city of Rosario back to the stadium just in time to help his side defeat the hosts 30-25 in a contest that kicked off at 1pm.
“We have three players involved with exams, we are balancing it.”
Under 20 World Championship 2019 – Rugby-Talk U20 World Cup 2019
Hi,
We have a NEW SuperBru Pool for all to join!
- The Under 20 World Championship 2019 starts in 5 days, so hurry up and join up for the competition.
As of 2016 we have been doing it a bit differently and opened our Pools up to all readers of Rugby-Talk.com, but we encourage you to register as a subsciber on Rugby-Talk.com anyway, as our banter and commenting about our Pools will mostly take place here on the website and not on the SuperBru banter boards! It is so easy to register and such fun to discuss rugby here.
Under 20 Rugby World Championship 2018 – Rugby-Talk U20 World Cup 2018
June Internationals 2018 – Rugby-Talk June Tests 2018
Hi,
We have 2 NEW SuperBru Pools for all to join!
- The Under 20 Rugby World Championship 2018 starts in only 2 days, on 30 May 2018, so hurry up and join up for the competition. I have left Pool creation slightly late again… what’s new!!
- The June Internationals 2018 starts in 5 days, with the Test between the South African Springboks vs Wales in the United States of America on Saturday 2 June 2018, so join up and make your first pick.
Immediately also make your picks for Round 1 of both Tournaments!
As of 2016 we have been doing it a bit differently and opened our Pools up to all readers of Rugby-Talk.com, but we encourage you to register as a subsciber on Rugby-Talk.com anyway, as our banter and commenting about our Pools will mostly take place here on the website and not on the SuperBru banter boards! It is so easy to register and such fun to discuss rugby here.
Oli Kebble
Oli Kebble will join the Warriors next season and the South African-born prop says he has ambitions to play international rugby for Scotland.
Oli will join Glasgow Warriors from the Cape Town-based Stormers after his Super Rugby commitments and will qualify for Scotland honours after completing three years of residency under World Rugby’s eligibility criteria.
He could follow in the footsteps of fellow-prop WP Nel who qualified for Scotland during his time with Edinburgh.
Oli said: “That’s definitely a goal of mine. I’d love to play international rugby and to play for Scotland would be a great honour. I know there’s a three-year waiting period and we’ll see how far I come, but it would definitely be a great thing if I could represent Scotland one day.
“For any rugby player, the ultimate goal would be to play international rugby, so I definitely considered that when talking to the Scottish Rugby Union, and that’s why I chose Glasgow in the end.”
Continue reading
England U20 (31) 39 / 17 (3) Junior Springboks U20 (Final Score)
England Under 20 and South Africa’s Junior Springboks Under 20 did battle in the World Rugby Under
20 Championship 2016 (semifinals) at Manchester, at 20:45 SA Time (18:45 GMT, 19:45 UK Time).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & CSN on TV in SA.
*******************
Ireland U20 (21) 37 / 7 (7) Argentina U20 (Final Score)
Ireland Under 20 and Argentina Under 20 did battle in the World Rugby Under
20 Championship 2016 (semifinals) at Manchester, at 18:30 SA Time (16:30 GMT, 17:30 UK Time).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & CSN on TV in SA.
*******************
New Zealand U20 (35) 71 / 12 (5) Wales U20 (Final Score)
New Zealand Under 20 and Wales Under 20 did battle in the World Rugby Under
20 Championship 2016 (5yh Place Play-off) at Manchester, at 16:15 SA Time (14:15 GMT, 15:15 UK Time).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & CSN on TV in SA.
*******************
Junior Springboks (18) 40 / 31 (24) France U20 (Final Score)
South Africa’s Junior Springbok Under 20 and France Under 20 did battle in the World Rugby Under
20 Championship 2016 at Salford, at 20:45 SA Time (18:45 GMT, 19:45 UK Time).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 on TV in SA.
*******************
England U20 (6) 17 / 13 (13) Australia U20 (Final Score)
England Under 20 and Australia Under 20 did battle in the World Rugby Under
20 Championship 2016 at Manchester, at 20:45 SA Time (18:45 GMT, 19:45 UK Time).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 6 on TV in SA.
*******************
Ireland U20 (20) 35 / 7 (7) Georgia U20 (Final Score)
Ireland Under 20 and Georgia Under 20 did battle in the World Rugby Under
20 Championship 2016 at Manchester, at 18:30 SA Time (16:30 GMT, 17:30 UK Time).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 on TV in SA.
*******************
New Zealand U20 (10) 18 / 17 (14) Wales U20 (Final Score)
France Under 20 and Japan Under 20 did battle in the World Rugby Under
20 Championship 2016 at Salford, at 18:30 SA Time (16:30 GMT, 17:30 UK Time).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 6 on TV in SA.
*******************
Scotland U20 (5) 27 / 19 (7) Italy U20 (Final Score)
Scotland Under 20 and Italy Under 20 did battle in the World Rugby Under
20 Championship 2016 at Manchester, at 16:30 SA Time (14:30 GMT, 15:30 UK Time).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 on TV in SA.
*******************
Argentina U20 (15) 39 / 20 (13) Japan U20 (Final Score)
Argentina Under 20 and Japan Under 20 did battle in the World Rugby Under
20 Championship 2016 at Salford, at 16:30 SA Time (14:30 GMT, 15:30 UK Time).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 6 on TV in SA.
*******************
Junior Springboks (6) 13 / 19 (13) Argentina U20 (Final Score)
South Africa’s Junior Springbok Under 20 and Argentina Under 20 did battle in the World Rugby Under
20 Championship 2016 at Salford, at 19:00 SA Time (17:00 GMT, 18:00 UK Time).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 6 on TV in SA.
*******************
England U20 (13) 44 / 0 (0) Scotland U20 (Final Score)
England Under 20 and Scotland Under 20 did battle in the World Rugby Under
20 Championship 2016 at Manchester, at 19:00 SA Time (17:00 GMT, 18:00 UK Time).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was not broadcast LIVE on TV in SA.
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Wales U20 (7) 10 / 9 (6) Georgia U20 (Final Score)
Wales Under 20 and Georgia Under 20 did battle in the World Rugby Under
20 Championship 2016 at Manchester, at 16:45 SA Time (14:45 GMT, 15:45 UK Time).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was not broadcast LIVE on TV in SA.
*******************
France U20 (17) 46 / 14 (7) Japan U20 (Final Score)
France Under 20 and Japan Under 20 did battle in the World Rugby Under
20 Championship 2016 at Salford, at 16:45 SA Time (14:45 GMT, 15:45 UK Time).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 6 on TV in SA.
*******************
Australia U20 (7) 38 / 10 (10) Italy U20 (Final Score)
Australia Under 20 and Italy Under 20 did battle in the World Rugby Under
20 Championship 2016 at Manchester, at 14:30 SA Time (12:30 GMT, 13:30 UK Time).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 6 on TV in SA.
*******************
New Zealand U20 (14) 24 / 33 (20) Ireland U20 (Final Score)
New Zealand Under 20 and Ireland Under 20 did battle in the World Rugby Under
20 Championship 2016 at Salford, at 14:30 SA Time (12:30 GMT, 13:30 UK Time).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was not broadcast LIVE on TV in SA.
*******************
Hi,
We have 2 NEW SuperBru Pools for all to join!
- The World Rugby Under 20 Championship (Junior World Cup) 2016 starts on 7 June 2016 (today), so hurry up and do not delay to register for it!
- The June Internationals 2016 starts on 11 June 2016, register for it too, whilst the iron is hot!
This year we are doing it a bit differently and opened our Pools up to all readers of Rugby-Talk.com, but we encourage you to register as a subsciber on Rugby-Talk.com anyway, as our banter and commenting about our Pools will mostly take place here on the website and not on the SuperBru banter boards! It is so easy to register and such fun to discuss rugby here.
Junior Springboks (14) 59 / 19 (19) Japan U20 (Final Score)
South Africa’s Junior Springbok Under 20 and Japan Under 20 did battle in the World Rugby Under
20 Championship 2016 at Manchester, at 16:15 SA Time (14:15 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & CSN on TV in SA.
*******************
France U20 (8) 15 / 24 (6) Argentina U20 (Final Score)
France Under 20 and Argentina Under 20 did battle in the World Rugby Under
20 Championship 2016 at Salford, at 16:15 SA Time (14:15 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 6 on TV in SA.
*******************
Wales U20 (17) 25 / 26 (15) Ireland U20 (Final Score)
Wales Under 20 and Ireland Under 20 did battle in the World Rugby Under
20 Championship 2016 at Manchester, at 18:30 SA Time (16:30 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 on TV in SA.
*******************
Australia U20 (7) 10 / 15 (3) Scotland U20 (Final Score)
Australia Under 20 and Scotland Under 20 did battle in the World Rugby Under
20 Championship 2016 at Salford, at 18:30 SA Time (16:30 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 6 on TV in SA.
*******************
England U20 (17) 48 / 10 (3) Italy U20 (Final Score)
England Under 20 and Italy Under 20 did battle in the World Rugby Under
20 Championship 2016 at Manchester, at 20:45 SA Time (18:45 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 on TV in SA.
*******************
New Zealand U20 (31) 55 / 0 (0) Georgia U20 (Final Score)
New Zealand Under 20 and Georgia Under 20 did battle in the World Rugby Under
20 Championship 2016 at Salford, at 20:45 SA Time (14:15 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 6 on TV in SA.
*******************
Springbok Under 20 coach Dawie Theron on Tuesday named his 28-man squad that will do battle at World Rugby Under 20 Championship in Manchester, England, from 7 – 25 June.
Eastern Province centre Jeremy Ward will lead the team in the showpiece, while his provincial team-mate Junior Pokomela and 2015 SA Schools captain, Western Province lock Ernst van Rhyn, have been named as vice-captains.
The squad features 2 players who were members of the Junior Springbok squad that finished 3rd at the international showpiece in Italy last year, namely centre JT Jackson and scrumhalf Marco Jansen van Vuren.
9 Members of the SA Schools team that featured in the Under 18 International Series in South Africa last year have also been included. They are centre Stedman Gans, flyhalves Manie Libbok and Curwin Bosch, scrumhalf Embrose Papier, locks Ruben de Villiers and Van Rhyn, loose forwards Cobus Wiese and Zain Davids and prop Carlü Sadie.
England Under 20 Head Coach Martin Haag has named his 28-man squad for the World Rugby Under 20 Championship in Manchester (7 – 25 June).
The home side face Italy, Scotland and Australia in Pool B and several players with Premiership experience have been included: Theo Brophy-Clews, Will Evans, Harry Mallinder, Joe Marchant, Ollie Thorley and Johnny Williams.
Jack Walker will play in his 3rd World Rugby Under 20 Championship, while George Perkins and Josh Bainbridge both featured in Italy last year.
England have a strong record in the tournament having reached 6 finals in the last 8 years but this squad have a unique opportunity to play in front of their home supporters.
“This group will only play together for this tournament. It will be a proud moment when they pull on the white jersey and run out in front of family and friends in a home World Cup,” said Haag.
Scott Cummings
Over the past year the flower of Scottish rugby is beginning to come back into bloom.
Last season Glasgow Warriors became the first Scottish side to win the Guinness PRO12, then Scotland were agonizingly close to a Rugby World Cup semifinal place with their last gasp defeat to Australia.
Last weekend in the penultimate Round of the RBS 6 Nations, the Scots broke a decade long hoodoo by beating France at BT Murrayfield.
Their compatriots at Under 20s level had made history of their own by beating “The Auld Enemy” England in the tournament’s opening Round for the 1st time since the inception of the Under 20s Six Nations Championship.
Leading the charge of this new generation of young Scots is Under 20s captain and lock Scott Cummings, who due to commitments with his club side Glasgow Warriors will not be playing against Ireland in the final Round of competition after guiding his side to 2 wins.
However, Cummings’ contribution to Scotland’s Under 20s and the experience he has gained playing in the Guinness PRO12 reflects the current renaissance in Scottish rugby.
New Zealand (11) 21 / 16 (10) England (Final Score)
New Zealand Under 20 and England Under 20 did battle in the Final of the World Rugby
Under 20 Chamionship at Stadio Giovanni Zine, Cremora at 20:30 SA Time
(20:30 Italy Time, 18:30 GMT). This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & M-Net on TV in SA.
Scorers:
New Zealand:
- Penalties – Otere Black (3)
- Drop Goals – 0
- Tries – Vince Tavae-Aso (1), Akira Ioane (1)
- Conversions – Otere Black (1)
England:
- Penalties – Rory Jennings (3)
- Drop Goals – 0
- Tries – Matt Clark (1)
- Conversions – Rory Jennings (1)
Jnr Springboks (28) 31 / 18 (8) France (Final Score)
The South African Junior Springboks and France Under 20 did battle in the 3rd Place play-off match
of the World Rugby Under 20 Championship at Stadio Giovanni Zini, Cremora at 18:35 SA Time
(18:35 Italy Time, 16:35 GMT). This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & M-Net on TV in SA.
Scorers:
Jnr Springboks:
- Penalties – Brandon Thompson (1)
- Drop Goals – 0
- Tries – Thomas du Toit (1), Jason Jenkins (1), Dan du Preez (2)
- Conversions – Brandon Thompson (4)
France:
- Penalties – Lucas Meret (1)
- Drop Goals – 0
- Tries – Arthur Bonneval (1), Julien Delannoy (1), Lucas Blanc (1)
- Conversions – 0
Jnr Springboks (6) 20 / 28 (18) England (Final Score)
The South African Junior Springboks and England Under 20 did battle in a semi-final in the World Rugby Under
20 Championship at Stadio San Michele, Calvisano at 20:30 SA Time (20:30 Italy Time, 19:30 BST, 18:30 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & CSN on TV in SA.
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Other matches – Fixtures & Results:
Australia 31 / 21 Scotland (Final Score)
New Zealand 45 / 7 France (Final Score)
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Junior Springbok coach Dawie Theron made 2 changes to his match-23 for the World Rugby Under 20 Championship semi-final against defending champions England on Monday evening in Calvisano, Italy.
DHL Western Province flank Rikus Bothma takes over the No 6 jersey from his provincial team mate Jacques Vermeulen, while Malcolm Jaer (EP Kings) replaces Grant Hermanus (DHL WP) on the bench.
The rest of the match squad who defeated Australia in Calvisano last Wednesday, were kept unchanged.
Theron said the changes are part of the team’s rotational policy.
Jnr Springboks (20) 46 / 13 (3) Australia U 20 (Final Score)
The South African Junior Springboks and Australia Under 20 did battle in the World Rugby Under 20
Championship at Stadio San Michele, Calvisano at 20:30 SA Time (20:30 Italy Time, 18:30 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & CSN on TV in SA.
*******************
DHL Western Province centre EW Viljoen will earn a 1st starting berth for the Junior Springboks against Australia on Wednesday evening in the World Rugby Under 20 Championship Pool B decider in Calvisano, Italy.
He replaces Vodacom Blue Bulls centre JT Jackson, who played in the previous Championship outings against Italy and Samoa. Jackson drops out of the match-23.
Viljoen, who will anchor the midfield with provincial partner Daniel du Plessis, is 1 of 2 backline changes to the team that faced Samoa.
His WP team-mate Khanyo Ngcukana, who played against Italy in the opening match, reclaims his place in the starting-15 in place of Grant Hermanus on the right wing.
WP flank Jacques Vermeulen, who started 4 matches for the Junior Springboks in New Zealand last year and who came off the bench last Saturday, will start in the No 6 jersey. He switches places with Dan du Preez, who has been named among the replacements.
Dawie Theron, the Junior Springbok coach, said his team is well-prepared for the game.
Junior Springboks (21) 40 / 8 (3) Samoa (Final Score)
South Africa Under 20 and Samoa Under 20 did battle in the World Rugby
Under 20 Championship at Stadio Sergio Lanfranchi, Parma at 18:30 SA Time (18:30 Italy Time, 16:30 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 5 on TV in SA.
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Hello fellas & flatties,
This Pool was opened POST HASTE, as I nearly forgot to do it.
Here are the details of our latest SuperBru Pool, but I’ve left it rather late, so please hurry joining up and doing your first picks, the TOURNAMENT starts TODAY!
Pool Name: Rugby-Talk JWC 2015
Pool Code: examrags
Remember, as per usual, the Pool is open to all REGISTERED Rugby-Talkers, so if you are not subscribed yet, do so and enjoy the Pool with us!
But grant me the opportunity to also explain why you need to do it quickly and at the same time excuse my oversight for only doing it now… let me tell you the story!
The Junior Springboks came through with a clean bill of health on Wednesday after completing their post-match medical and conditioning examinations following their 33 / 5 win over hosts Italy on Tuesday at the World Rugby Under 20 Championship in Calvisano.
Apart from a few bumps and bruises, the match squad who did duty against the Italians completed the game without injury. Lock RG Snyman (pictured), however, suffered a cut above the eyebrow in the 1st half and played on after receiving the necessary medical attention.
On Wednesday the Junior Boks had recovery sessions, which included a gym session for the non-playing squad members and the customary massages for those who were in action in the opening match. Later on the squad analysed their performance in a lengthy video session.
Italy (5) 5 / 33 (21) Springboks (Final Score)
Italy Under 20 and South Africa Under 20 did battle in the World Rugby Under
20 Chamionship at Stadio San Michele, Calvisano, Italy at 20:30 SA Time (20:30 Italy Time, 18:30 GMT).
This was the live match discussion Article.
The match was broadcast LIVE on SuperSport 1 & CSN on TV in SA.
*******************
Hanro Liebenberg
Junior Springbok coach Dawie Theron stuck mainly to the combinations that earned him a 2 – 0 series win in Argentina as he announced his team to start against Italy on Tuesday.
No 8 Hanro Liebenberg will lead out a Junior Springbok match-23 sprinkled with several players who also took part in last year’s event in New Zealand, where they lost by a single point against defending champions England.
Sharks prop Thomas du Toit will anchor the scrum and is 1 of the players that will participate in his 2nd successive tournament, as well as lock Abongile Nonkontwana (Blue Bulls) and Jean-Luc du Preez (Sharks). Another survivor from last year, Joseph Dweba (hooker, Cheetahs), will play off the bench.
Theron opted for a strong forward pack while the backline has a settled look.
Warrick Gelant is also returning for his 2nd tournament in a row and the Springbok Sevens international starts in the No 15 jersey. Much is expected of the centre pairing of JT Jackson (Blue Bulls) and Daniel du Plessis (Western Province), in particular.
The Junior Springbok rugby squad arrived in Italy on Thursday afternoon for the World Rugby Under 20 Championship and immediately settled in at their tournament base in Parma.
Conditioning coach, Dr Warren Adams, took the squad of 28 players for an active recovery session which consisted of a good stretch followed by a swim in the pool.
The squad left South Africa yesterday and arrived here via a domestic flight from Cape Town to Johannesburg and then the overnight haul from the City of Gold to Frankfurt in Germany.
That was followed by a 90 minute airplane journey to Milan, from where the South Africans travelled by bus to their tournament destination.
Hanro Liebenberg and his squad are in a good condition after attending an intensive training camp of almost 2 months at the Stellenbosch Academy of Sport.
South Africa play their opening fixture next Tuesday evening in Calvisano against the hosts, Italy in what is expected to be a fiercely contested clash.
Hanro Liebenberg
Vodacom Blue Bulls No 8 Hanro Liebenberg will lead the Junior Springboks at the World Rugby Under 20 Championship in Italy next month, SARU confirmed on Wednesday.
Liebenberg will skipper the 28-man squad during the 3-week tournament from 2 to 20 June. He led the Junior Springboks to a thrilling win over the Varsity Cup Dream Team last month and also captained them when they clinched a 2 – 0 series win over the Argentina Under 20 side in Rosario last Saturday.
The squad, which was chosen by the national selectors, consists of 16 forwards and 12 backs, and includes 6 players who featured in last year’s tournament in New Zealand. Last year England edged the young South Africans by a single point in a memorable final at Eden Park in Auckland.
Jean-Luc du Preez (flank), Thomas du Toit (prop, both Cell C Sharks), Joseph Dweba (hooker, Toyota Free State Cheetahs), Abongile Nonkontwana (lock, Vodacom Blue Bulls), Jacques Vermeulen (No 8, DHL Western Province) and Warrick Gelant (fullback, Vodacom Blue Bulls) are the players who will represent the Junior Springboks for a 2nd successive year.
The Junior Springbok squad shows 4 changes from the touring group that returned from Argentina on Monday evening.
Lock RG Snyman (Vodacom Blue Bulls) got the nod to travel to Italy after he sat out the Los Pumitas series because of an ankle injury. WP centre EW Viljoen and Blue Bulls flyhalf Tinus de Beer, who also did not tour Argentina, were both selected for the Italian job.
The Du Preez twins, Dan and Jean-Luc, who were selected for the 2014 tournament, are also members of the 28-man squad. Dan, however, withdrew days before the team left for New Zealand last year because of a shoulder injury.
The Junior Springboks clinched their 2 match international rugby series 2 – 0 against Argentina Under 20 after beating Los Pumitas 39 / 28 in Rosario on Saturday, with prop Jan van der Merwe helping himself to a hat-trick of tries in the 1st half.
The 2 teams used the series as final warm-up exercise for the World Rugby Under 20 Championship in Italy next month.
On Saturday at the beautiful Club Gimnasia Stadium in Rosario, the Junior Boks raced into a commanding 25 / 6 halftime lead thanks to a trio of tries by front ranker Jan van der Merwe. Argentina struggled to match the visitors’ powerful forward surges and could only reply with 2 penalties.
The South Africans scored 2 more tries in the 2nd half through Leolin Zas (wing) and Joseph Dweba (replacement hooker). However, they had to show great determination on defence against Los Pumitas, who stormed back with 3 tries in the 2nd stanza.
Captain and No 8, Hanro Liebenberg, led with example with ball in hand and also did sterling work on defence. The Junior Boks dominated the scrums, were supreme in the lineouts and mauled powerfully which resulted in 3 tries.
Junior Springbok coach Dawie Theron has shuffled his match-23 for the 2nd international rugby friendly against Argentina Under 20 (Los Pumitas) this coming Saturday in Rosario. The match will kick-off at 14:00 ARG Time (19:00 SA Time).
The young South Africans won the 1st meeting between the 2 sides 25 / 22 on Tuesday in Santa Fe. Both teams are using the 2-match series as their final warm-up for the World Rugby Under 20 Championship which will be hosted by Italy in June.
Theron elected to retain only a number of players from the starting 15 which managed to edge Los Pumitas, while he opted also for 2 positional changes.
Tighthead prop Thomas du Toit, Jason Jenkins (lock), Leolin Zas (left wing), Daniel du Plessis (inside centre) and JT Jackson (outside centre) will all start in their 2nd tour match. N0 8 Dan du Preez and right wing Grant Hermanus will however run out in different positions.
Du Preez moves to flank while Hermanus will wear the No 15 jersey. Fullback Warrick Gelant and prop Frans van Wyk were not considered for selection because of shoulder injuries.
Hanro Liebenberg of the Vodacom Blue Bulls returns to the starting line-up at the back of the scrum and will also take over the captaincy from Rikus Bothma (DHL Western Province) who led the side in Santa Fe. Liebenberg sat out the 1st tour match as precaution for his troubled hand.
The Junior Springboks were made to fight hard to overcome a courageous Argentina Under 20 rugby team by 25 / 22 in the 1st of 2 matches between the sides late on Tuesday in Santa Fe, Argentina.
Los Pumitas led 15 / 10 at halftime after they dominated possession and territory while playing with a strong wind in their favour in the 1st half. They scored 2 tries and a penalty to take a deserved lead, while the Junior Springboks answered with a converted try and a penalty to stay within distance despite their many unforced errors.
The young South Africans used their dominance in the scrums and set pieces to much better effect in the 2nd half, adding a penalty and an excellent try to edge out the hosts in front of a passionate crowd.
RG Snyman
Blue Bulls lock RG Snyman was withdrawn from the Junior Springbok touring squad to Argentina due to an ankle ligament injury.
The big lock hurt his ankle during a training session in Stellenbosch and will be out of action for 2 to 4 weeks.
Loose forward Rikus Bothma, the former SA Schools captain and skipper of last year’s Western Province Under 19 team, has been named as his replacement.
Snyman will continue with his rehabilitation until Friday and will return to the camp when the squad reassembles after the tour. He will undergo a fitness test on his return.
SARU has confirmed the 28-man Junior Springbok squad for a 2-match series against Argentina Under 20 in Rosario next month.
The squad will be led by Vodacom Bulls No 8 Hanro Liebenberg, who also captained the Junior Springboks last week in their match against the Varsity Cup Dream Team in Stellenbosch.
The Junior Springboks fly out to Argentina on 8 May and return 10 days later. They will play against their Argentine counterparts, on 12 and 16 May in Rosario.
A total of 17 forwards and 11 backs were selected for the trip. The short tour forms an important part of the Junior Springboks’ preparations for the World Rugby Under 20 Championship in June in Italy.
According to Dawie Theron, the Junior Springbok coach, the tour against the Los Pumitas will give his squad important playing time against strong opposition.
Dawie Theron
The SARU national selectors have named a squad of 37 players for the Junior Springbok training camp in preparation for the 2015 World Rugby Under 20 Championship to be played during June in Italy. The group will assemble in Stellenbosch on Easter Monday.
The revised training squad was confirmed after a 4-day trials camp last week in Stellenbosch.
The group includes several players who are currently busy with Vodacom Super Rugby, Vodacom Cup and Varsity Cup commitments.
These players, such as Thomas du Toit, Dan du Preez (both Cell C Sharks) and Hanro Liebenberg (Vodacom Blue Bulls) will join the training camp at a later stage.
Dawie Theron, the Junior Springbok coach, described last week’s trials camp as a very good exercise.
Dawie Theron
The South African Rugby Union on Wednesday announced a large group of players to participate in the Junior Springbok trials camp early next month in Stellenbosch. The trials will kick-start the process to select the Junior Springbok squad of 28 players for the upcoming World Rugby Under 20 Championship in Italy in June.
The best local Under 20 players will assemble on Sunday 30 March at the Stellenbosch Academy of Sport (SAS) and will remain in camp until 2 April. This will be followed by a break for the Easter holidays. The camp will feature 2 trial matches on Tuesday 31 March and Thursday 2 April respectively at the Paul Roos Markottër Stadium.
Players such as Thomas du Toit, Dan du Preez (both, Cell C Sharks), RG Snyman and Warrick Gelant (both, Vodacom Blue Bulls) who are currently busy with Vodacom Super Rugby commitments, were excluded from the trials squad. Duhan van der Merwe (Vodacom Blue Bulls) and Rikus Bothma (DHL Western Province) are currently injured and were not considered.
Following the trials, a smaller group of 34 players will return to SAS on 6 April for the Junior Springbok training camp. This training camp will include the following activities:
- Training exercises against the DHL Western Province Rugby Institute
- A match against a Varsity Cup select XV
- And a short tour of Argentina featuring two matches against the Los Pumitas
Jack Payne
Former Wales and Llanelli flyhalf Phil Bennett has questioned Scarlets’ move for Welsh-qualified flanker Jack Payne from Queensland Reds in Australia.
Payne, 20, has arrived in Wales, but any move cannot be made official until passport issues have been resolved.
Scarlets president Bennett would prefer to see local players at Scarlets, but admitted importing Welsh-qualified players from abroad could help Wales.
“There’s a lot of mixed feeling from Llanelli,” he said. “We’re kind of old fashioned here. People still go back to the great Llanelli days . . . they all want to be Welsh, Welsh-speaking if they had their way,” joked 66-year-old Bennett.
“But let’s be honest, look at the Australians, the All Blacks and how they’ve milked the situation of getting players from Fiji, Samoa and different places. You’ve got to get and live with the very best in the world.”
Nizaam Carr
Handré Pollard
Nizaam Carr and Handré Pollard lead the full list of nominees released by SARU on Wednesday for their annual Player of the Year Awards, which will take place on 8 February in Midrand.
Carr and Pollard, both of whom made their Test debuts for the Springboks this season, have both been nominated in three categories.
The 23-year-old Carr has been nominated in for the SARU Player of the Year, Young Player of the Year and Currie Cup Player of the Year.
Pollard, who is only 20, has been nominated in the categories for SARU Player of the Year, Young Player of the Year and SA Under 20 Player of the Year.
Namibia celebrate beating Kenya to win the CAR Africa Under 19 championship.
Namibia have booked their place in the IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy 2015 after beating Kenya 52-17 in the final of the Confédération Africaine de Rugby (CAR) Under 19 Championship in Windhoek.
The victory caps a golden six-week period for Namibian Rugby after the senior team, the Welwitchias, also qualified for the 2015 Rugby World Cup in July.
Captain and fly half Christopher Arries scored the first of eight Namibian tries after just two minutes and with wing Milaan van Wyk crossing twice in the space of seven minutes the tournament hosts built a commanding 35-10 lead at the break.