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South Africa unveils its 45-strong Junior Springbok academy selection
Junior Springbok coach Chean Roux has opted for continuity in selection as the 45-strong SA Rugby academy squad announced on Wednesday contains 27 players who featured in the SA U19s last season and 37 who attended the SA Rugby alignment camps last month.
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The group includes six capped World Rugby U20 Championship players in Celimpilo Gumede, Sibusiso Sangweni (loose forwards), Emile van Heerden (lock), Jaden Hendrikse (scrum-half), Thabiso Mdletshe (prop) and Mnombo Zwelendaba (centre).
The SA Rugby academy programme, launched in 2017, aims to balance formal education with high performance training and player welfare.
This year’s programme, which will again be steered by Roux and his Junior Springbok coaching team, will run from Thursday, March 12, to mid-May. The squad will be based at the Stellenbosch Academy of Sport.
In line with the programme’s objective of ensuring holistic player development on and off the field, the goal is to have all the participants enrolled for various degrees, national diplomas, national certificates and short courses, which will be backed up by life skills and mentorship programmes and regular tutor sessions.
Only eight players in the group did not participate in the SA Rugby alignment camps, Asanda Kunene, Kabelo Mokoena (wingers), Jason Alexander (hooker), Jan-Hendrik Wessels, Thys Kitshoff (props), George Cronje, Uzile Tele (loose forwards), and Muzi Manyike (full-back). Tele and Manyike, however, were withdrawn due to injury.
Cronje and Wessels (both Clermont) are currently contracted to overseas clubs, while another overseas-based player Kade Wolhuter (fly-half – Montpellier) was also invited to the academy.
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“These 45 players are among the best U19 and U20 players, and it gives us great pleasure to assist in their development both and off the field,” said SA Rugby CEO Jurie Roux.
“In 2018, a total of 30 players participated in the programme and that was increased to 45 last year, and we are delighted that we can once again name a large squad.
Chean Roux added: “This is a talented group of players and I’m excited we will have the opportunity to work with them daily in the next three months.
“With a number of the players having represented the SA U19 team on our successful tour to Georgia late last year, and most of them having taken part in the alignment camps we hosted in February, we have a good foundation to build on.
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“Some players are new to the group, especially the likes of George and Jan-Hendrik who have been plying their trade abroad in the last year, but they all came through our elite player development programmes and were in the South African rugby structures until last year, so we have no doubt they will slot in with ease.
“Most of the players in this group have progressed from the SA Rugby U16 to U18 EPD structures, and the fact they have advanced to this level rubberstamps the effectiveness of our development pathway.”
SA Rugby Academy squad:
Props: Banele Mthenjane (Xerox Golden Lions), Dewald Donald (Vodacom Blue Bulls), Sphekahle Dube (Cell C Sharks), Hanro Jacobs (Cell C Sharks), Thys Kitshoff (DHL Western Province), Thabiso Mdletshe (Cell C Sharks), Wian Otto (Vodacom Blue Bulls), Jan-Hendrik Wessels (ASM Clermont Auvergne)
Hookers: Jason Alexander (DHL Western Province), Morne Brandon (Xerox Golden Lions), JJ Kotze (DHL Western Province), Cullen van der Merwe (Cell C Sharks)
Locks: Adrian Alberts (Xerox Golden Lions), Werner Coetzee (Cell C Sharks), Dylan De Leeuw (DHL Western Province), Lunga Ncube (Cell C Sharks), Emile van Heerden (Cell C Sharks)
Loose forwards: George Cronje (ASM Clermont Auvergne), Celimpilo Gumede (Cell C Sharks), Thabo Ndimande (Xerox Golden Lions), Keenan Opperman (Vodacom Blue Bulls), Evan Roos (Cell C Sharks), Sibusiso Sangweni (Xerox Golden Lions), Uzile Tele (Vodacom Blue Bulls)
Scrum-halves: Ross Braude (Vodacom Blue Bulls), Thomas Bursey (DHL Western Province), Jaden Hendrikse (Cell C Sharks), Bernard van der Linde (Vodacom Blue Bulls)
Fly-halves: Lionel April (Vodacom Blue Bulls), Jordan Hendrikse (DHL Western Province), Juan Mostert (DHL Western Province)
Centres: Diego Appollis (Vodacom Blue Bulls), Christie Grobbelaar (SA Rugby Sevens Academy), Rynhardt Jonker (Cell C Sharks), Dawid Kellerman (Vodacom Blue Bulls), Boitumelo Tsatsane (Xerox Golden Lions), Brenden Venter (DHL Western Province), Mnonbo Zwelendaba (DHL Western Province)
Outside backs: Stravino Jacobs (Vodacom Blue Bulls), Cohen Jasper (Toyota Free State), Richard Kriel (Vodacom Blue Bulls), Asanda Kunene (Cell C Sharks), Muzilikazi Manyike (Xerox Golden Lions), Kabelo Mokoena (Vodacom Blue Bulls), Sibabalwe Xamlashe (DHL Western Province)
WATCH: RugbyPass Rugby Explorer takes a trek through South African rugby, stopping off at Cape Town and Port Elizabeth
Comments on RugbyPass
🤦♂️🤣 who cares who’s the best . All I know is the All Blacks have the star coach but have few star players now …
27 Go to commentsJe suis sûr que Farrell est impatient de jouer avec Lopez et Machenaud et d’être entraîné par Collazo… 🤭
1 Go to commentsAn on field red (aka a full red) in SRP must surely carry a bigger suspension than a red card given by the bunker as that carries a 20 minute team punishment. Had Damon Murphy abdicated his responsibility as a ref and issued both Drua players a yellow, which would have been upgraded to a 20 minute red by the bunker, that would have killed Australia and New Zealand’s push for the 20 minute red to be trialled globally from July this year.
11 Go to commentsEver so often you all post a Danny Care story that isn’t the announcement that he has finally re-signed for one more, victory tour season at Quins and I’m just like, “well you fooled me again!” My absolute favorite player ever, we need to make his final year at the Stoop (and Twickers) official already. I know he supposedly snubbed France but I won’t feel better until he signs.
1 Go to commentslate hit what late hit it wasn’t at all late and can clearly see he was committed before the tackle
1 Go to commentsChristian Lio -Willies 2 try perfomance was a standout. As was captain Scott Barrett. Up front was where the boys won it.They are a great team and players. Fantastic Crusades , you can keep going.
1 Go to commentsI don't know how the locals feel about that? I guess if you call yourselves the Worcester Wasps that might be appease. But really we need more teams in the Premiership in my view so they are not padding it out as they are at the moment. It might curtail so many players going abroad as well
5 Go to commentsNZ 😭😭😭is certainly rivaling England for best whingers cup!😭😭😭 !!!
27 Go to commentsYup. New Zealand won 3 out of 10 world cups played. SA 4 out of 8 attempts 30 Vs 50 per cent.🤔🤔
27 Go to commentsShould've done this years ago. Change Saturday kick off times to around 11am. Up and off and back home before 3pm, limit travel time too. Allows players to actually do something else with their Saturday that's family oriented or being rugby fans they could ‘watch’ pro rugby. Increases crowds etc. How can anyone that enjoys grassroots and pro rugby have to choose between the two on Saturdays?
9 Go to commentsI bet he inspired those supporters just as much.
1 Go to commentsBen Smith Springboks living rent free in his head 😊😂
67 Go to commentsGood to hear he would like to play the game at the highest level, I hadn’t been to sure how much of a motivator that was before now. Sadly he’s probably chosen the rugby club to go to. Try not to worry about all the input about how you should play rugby Joey and just try to emulate what you do on the league field and have fun. You’ll limit your game too much (well not really because he’s a standard athlete like SBW and he’ll still have enough) if you’re trying to make sure you can recycle the ball back etc. On the other hard, you can totally just try and recycle by looking to offload any and everywhere if you’re going to ground 😋
1 Go to commentsThis just proves that theres always a stat and a metric to use to justify your abilities and your success. Ben did it last week by creating an imaginary competition and now you did the same to counter his argument and espouse a new yardstick for success. Why not just use the current one and lets say the Boks have won 4 world cups making them the most successful world cup team. Outside of the world cup the All Blacks are the most successful team winning countless rugby championships and dominating the rankings with high win percentages. Over the last 4 years statistically the Irish are the best having the highest win rate and also having positive records against every tier 1 side. The most successful Northern team in the game has been England with a world cup title and the most six nations titles in history. The AB’s are the most dominant team in history with the highest win rate and 3 world cups. Lets not try to reinvent the wheel. Just be honest about the actual stats and what each team has been good at doing and that will be enough to define their level of success.
27 Go to commentsHow is 7’s played there? I’m surprised 10 or 11 man rugby hasn’t taken off. 7 just doesn’t fit the 15s dynamics (rules n field etc) but these other versions do.
9 Go to commentsPick Swinton at your peril A liability just like JWH from the Roosters Skelton ??? went missing at RWC
14 Go to commentsLike tennis, who have a ranking system, and I believe rugby too, just measure over each period preceding a world cup event who was the longest number one and that would be it. In tennis the number one player frequently is not the grand slam winner. I love and adore the All Blacks since the days of Ian Kirkpatrick when I was a kid in SA. And still do because they are the masters of running rugby and are gentleman on and off the field - in general. And in my opinion they have been the majority of the time the best rugby team in the world.
27 Go to commentsHaving overseas possessions in 2024 is absurd. These Frenchies should have to give the New Caledonians their freedom.
21 Go to commentsBell injured his foot didn’t he? Bring Tupou in he’ll deliver when it counts. Agree mostly but I would switch in the Reds number 8 Harry Wilson for Swinton and move Rob Valentini to 6 instead. Wilson is a clever player who reads the play, you can’t outmuscle the AB’s and Springboks, if you have any chance it’s by playing clever. Same goes for Paisami, he’s a little guy who doesn’t really trouble the likes of De Allende and Jordie Barrett. I’d rather play Carter Gordon at 12 and put Michael Lynagh’s boy at 10. That way you get a BMT type goalkicker at 10 and a playmaker at 12. Anyways, just my two cents as a Bok supporter.
14 Go to commentsThanks Brett, love your articles which are alway pertinent. It’s a difficult topic trying to have a panel adjudicating consistently penalties for red card issues. Many of the mitigating reasons raised are judged subjectively, hence the different outcomes. How to take away subjective opinions?
11 Go to comments