Junior Boks name settled team for World U20s opener against Fiji

The Junior Springboks have named a settled match 23 for their World Rugby U20 Championship opening game against Fiji at the Cape Town Stadium on Saturday night (kick-off 7pm).

It is the second consecutive year that the World Champs are being hosted in South Africa and the Junior Boks will be eager to improve on their third-place finish last year.

The majority of the match 23 all participated in the inaugural U20 Rugby Championship which took place in Australia last month, with the Junior Boks finishing second behind New Zealand.

Uncapped players

Three uncapped players, namely hooker Luca Bakkes, flyhalf Liam Koen and outside back Likhona Finca will make their debut against Fiji.

Bakkes will make his run-on debut and packs down in the front row between props Ruan Swart and Zachary Porthen, the Junior Bok captain, while Finca is set to make his debut off the bench should he be sent on as an outside back replacement. Koen will wear the No 10 jersey.

The starting line-up has five changes and a positional switch from the run-on side that beat Argentina in the last Rugby Championship match at the Sunshine Coast Stadium in Queensland, while there are several tweaks among the reserves.

Apart from Bakkes’ inclusion in the front row in place of Juan Smal, there is also a change at No 4 lock, with Thomas Dyer sitting out because of a niggle and the versatile Bathobele Hlekani moves from the side of the scrum to form the lock partnership with JF van Heerden.

Thabang Mphafi, who played off the bench against Argentina U20s, fills Hlekani’s position at No 7 flank, with Siba Mahashe (No 6) and Tiaan Jacobs (No 8) the rest of the loose forwards.

Liam Koen also debuts as the playmaker and he partners scrumhalf Asad Moos in a new-look halfback pairing.

The only other backline change sees Michail Damon in the fullback position, in place of Bruce Sherwood who donned the No 15 jersey in their previous match.

Hard work

Junior Bok coach Bafana Nhleko said the team has worked hard over the past week and worked on the lessons from the Rugby Championship in Australia, and they are ready to meet the challenge of Fiji on Saturday.

“We had a good holding camp in Stellenbosch last week and, since our move to our tournament base in Green Point on Tuesday, the focus has been on fine-tuning preparations,” said Nhleko.

Fiji come into the tournament as a well-oiled combination because of their recent success in the Oceania tournament over fellow Pacific neighbours Tonga, Moana Pasifika and Samoa.

“Fiji are a team with threats all round the park, big strong boys with excellent balls skills and dangerous with ball in hand. You need to be on it for 80 minutes, concentration wise, to deal with their threats,” said Nhleko.

“For us, it’s about excelling in our fundamentals, maintaining our strengths around playing from set piece and being in a position to make the right decisions when there are opportunities. The contact area behaviours will be key on both sides of the ball.”

The match is the first of three Pool C matches for the SA Under 20s, whose other group games are against Argentina and England.

Junior Boks

Michail Damon, Joel Leotlela, Jurenzo Julius, Joshua Boulle, Litelihle Bester, Liam Koen, Asad Moos, Tiaan Jacobs, Thabang Mphafi, Sibabalwe Mahashe, JF van Heerden, Bathobele Hlekani, Zachary Porthen (c), Luca Bakkes, Ruan Swart

Bench: Juan Smal, Liyema Ntshanga, Casper Badenhorst, Keanu Coetsee, Divan Fuller, Ezekiel Ngobeni, Tylor Sefoor, Likhona Finca