Junior Bok head coach Bafana Nhleko has confirmed that the squad competing in the Ireland semi-final will remain the same.
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The decision follows the team’s 24-16 victory over Argentina in their final Pool C match on Tuesday, SA Rugby reports. Nhleko says he hopes it will quell the slow start the team experienced in their matches since competing in the tournament, adding that the selection is a good reward for the incumbents. ‘We wanted some consistency and continuity, and we are hoping that the good second-half effort against Argentina will spill over into the match against Ireland.’
‘We found our way in the second spell and hopefully, we can use that momentum against the Irish. It is tough if you are always behind the eight ball and chasing the game as we have been in our last two matches, so we believe by staying with the same group that came through against Argentina will stand us in good stead.
‘We know Ireland is an extremely consistent side – both in performance, selection and their style of play – and we did not want to tinker too much ourselves as we have found some of the same in the last match.’
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The two teams met during the Six Nations U20 Summer Series in Italy last year when South Africa won by 33-24 in Verona. Despite this, Nhleko says victory does not reflect on the current Junior Boks side. ‘We have two or three players who played in that game, and they have at least two-thirds of their squad that come to this tournament, so I don’t think there is much to see from that perspective.
‘The fact that we beat them last year does not count for much. The occasion is different and so are our players. The reality this time around is that it is a knock-out game and whatever you do on the day, you just need to win.’
He adds that the semi-final does not bring additional pressure. ‘The pressure was to progress from the group stages, and we did well in that regard. This match is totally different – it’s a sprint. You want to get out of the blocks early, get a lead and finish in front of everyone.’
Here’s the line-up of the Junior Springbok team to face Ireland in Cape Town:
- 15. Hakeem Kunene – 2 caps, 0 points
- 14. Jurenzo Julius – 3 caps, 10 points (2 tries)
- 13. Katlego Letebele (vice-captain) – 5 caps, 10 points (2 tries)
- 12. Ethan Hooker – 2 caps, 5 points (1 try)
- 11. Michael Annies – 3 caps, 0 points
- 10. Jean Smith – 2 caps, 27 points (6 conversions; 5 penalty goals)
- 9. Imad Khan – 6 caps, 11 points (1 try, 3 conversions)
- 8. Corné Beets – 2 caps, 10 points (2 tries)
- 7. Ghudian van Reenen – 3 caps, 0 points
- 6. Paul de Villiers (captain) – 7 caps, 0 points
- 5. JF van Heerden – 3 caps, 0 points
- 4. Coetzee le Roux – 2 caps, 0 points
- 3. Dian Heunis – 1 cap, 0 points
- 2. Juann Else – 4 caps, 10 points (2 tries)
- 1. Corné Lavagna – 5 caps, 0 points
Replacements:
- 16. SJ Kotze – 3 caps, 0 points
- 17. Phatu Ganyane – 3 caps, 0 points
- 18. Zachary Porthen – 3 caps, 0 points
- 19. Jannes Potgieter – 3 caps, 0 points
- 20. Abulele Ndabambi – 2 caps, 0 points
- 21. Asad Moos – 1 cap, 0 points
- 22. Damian Markus – 3 caps, 5 points (1 try)
- 23. Regan Izaks – 2 caps, 0 points
Kick-off will start at 4:30pm, while the second semi-final is scheduled for 7pm. New Zealand and Australia is the first game of the day at 2pm. Tickets are available on Ticketmaster, and SuperSport will broadcast the action live.
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Also read:
Baby Boks return to Cape Town for Rugby World U20 Championship
Picture: SA Rugby
