THE Baby Boks kick off their Under-20 Rugby Championship this morning at 9am with a game against arch-rivals New Zealand at the Sunshine Coast Stadium in Bokarina, Queensland Australia.
The team will be led by former SA Schools captain Zachary Porthen, the prop from Western Province.
He is one of five players in the match-day squad who featured in last year’s World Rugby Under-20 Championship in Cape Town, where the Junior Boks finished third.
The other returning players who will start against New Zealand are Asad Moos (scrumhalf), Jurenzo Julius (centre) and Litelihle Bester (wing). JF van Heerden (lock) was named among the replacements and is set to make an impact off the bench.
Porthen will anchor the front row alongside Ruan Swart (prop) and Juan Smal (hooker), while Thomas Dyer and Adam de Waal are the starting locks. The loose trio consists of flankers Sibabalwe Mahashe and Bathobele Hlekani, with Tiaan Jacobs at No 8.
In the backline, Moos gets the nod as the starting scrumhalf where he will partner flyhalf Tylor Sefoor. Bruce Sherwood and Julius will patrol the midfield, Bester and Joel Leotlela are the speedsters on the wing and Michail Damon completes the backline at fullback.
Junior Bok coach Bafana Nhleko said his group had a good training week before the Sanzaar tournament.
“The medical and strength and conditioning staff did a sterling job to ensure our group settled in as quickly as possible after our long-haul flight from South Africa, and our preparations went well this week,” said Nhleko. “The players are now eager to put in a good effort against a top-quality opponent.”
The rivalry and tradition between South Africa and New Zealand means a lot of pride is at stake in this opening-round encounter.
Nhleko also said his players have to be aware of the Kiwi threats all over the field.
“We all know about the tremendous rivalry, and the all-round threat of New Zealand,” said Nhleko.
“The physical battle will be huge between two teams that pride themselves on physicality. The main message has been to focus on ourselves and to drive our behaviours.
“So, as much as there is a lot at stake in this match and we are chasing a good performance, we are also eager to continue to learn and use this tournament as a great opportunity to develop as a team.”
Hosts Australia and Argentina will clash in the other game of the opening-round doubleheader.
The new tournament comprises a round-robin format where the teams will play each other once and the top team after the three-round, six-match tournament will be declared as winner of the first Under-20 Rugby Championship.
The clash will be broadcast live on SuperSport.