The Junior Boks were last in action on home soil at the 2025 U20 Rugby Championship, held in Gqeberha.
The Junior Springboks kick off their World Rugby U20 Championship with a clash against old rivals, Australia, in Calvisano, Italy on Sunday, with kick-off at 3.30pm.
While the team is a settled one, it does show four changes from the side that ran New Zealand close in the teams’ final match of the U20 Rugby Championship, played in Gqeberha, last month.
Coach Kevin Foote has made one change in the backline and three in the pack from the side that were pipped by New Zealand. Siya Ndlozi replaces Gino Cupido on the left wing, while the rest of the backline remain the same.
In the starting pack, two changes are made at the side of the scrum, with flankers Batho Hlekani and Xola Nyali forming the loose trio combination with No 8 Wandile Mlaba, while in the front row Herman Lubbe gets the nod at tighthead ahead of Jean Erasmus, who is now set to play off the bench.
Jaco Grobbelaar (lock), who joined up with the squad shortly before they flew out from Cape Town, is also set to join the action off the bench.
Amongst the backline replacements, Ian van der Merwe (flyhalf) and Jaco Williams (outside back) are in line to make their Junior Bok debuts should they come off the bench.
‘Selection is always tough’
“We are extremely excited about starting the World Championship in Italy,” said Foote.
“It’s a great country and you can feel the energy within the group. The players have prepared well, they’ve got clarity, and they are just such a great group together.”
Talking about his team for the match, Foote said: “Selection is always tough and leaving some guys out is hard, but we’ve gone with a team that has played a lot together now, has a lot of synergy and understanding of our game, and knows how to connect on the field.
“We are very excited about the team that we have selected, with Riley Norton captaining the side, and he will be assisted by Haashim Pead, JJ Theron and Siphosethu Mnebelele.”
The tournament consists of three pools, each with four teams. After the three pool matches, the three pool winners and the best runner-up out of the three pools will progress to the semi-finals. The winners of the semi-finals will contest the final, while the losers of those semi-finals will play for third place, with the others vying for positional places.
Junior Springbok team to face Australia: Gilermo Mentoe, Cheswill Jooste, Demitre Erasmus, Albie Bester, Siyabonga Ndlozi, Vusi Moyo, Haashim Pead, Wandile Mlaba, Bathobele Hlekani, Xola Nyali, JJ Theron, Riley Norton (capt), Herman Lubbe, Siphosethu Mnebelele, Simphiwe Ngobese. Bench: Jaundre Schoeman, Oliver Reid, Jean Erasmus, Jaco Grobbelaar, Matt Romao, Erich Visser, Ian van der Merwe, Jaco Williams
