The Junior Springboks will be hoping to build on their opening U20 Rugby Championship victory over Argentina when they face the Junior Wallabies in Gqeberha on Sunday.
Image: SA Junior Rugby
The Junior Springboks would do well to heed the danger posed by a wounded Junior Wallabies outfit in the second match of their U20 Rugby Championship at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha on Sunday.
Kevin Foote’s SA Under-20 side possessed far too much firepower for Los Pumitas in their opening 48-21 victory at the same venue on Monday, but a noticeable lack of concentration allowed the Argentinian juniors to score three late tries.
A similar drop-off in performance could prove damaging against a Junior Wallabies side that were unfortunate to lose 34-29 in their opener against the Junior All Blacks after dominating large passages of the match, despite going down to 13 men in the second half.
Foote is under no illusions about the threat posed by the Australia U20s, as evidenced by a number of rotational changes to the matchday 23 for Sunday’s encounter.
“We had a really good review of our performance against Argentina and, while we are very pleased with the result and the way the players performed on defence and attack for long periods of the match, there are obviously aspects of our game that need improvement,” said Foote.
“Our focus is playing the full 80 minutes and ensuring that we stay on our game model to meet what will be a huge challenge against an Australian side that is well coached and who boasts strong skill sets across the park.”
The Junior Boks’ starting pack shows only one change from the side that impressed against Argentina in the opening round, with Wasi Vyambwera coming in at blindside flanker in place of Thomas Beling.
Among the backs, Khuthadzo Rasivhaga is preferred to Lindsey Jansen on the left wing, while Akahluwa Boqwana gets the nod at fullback ahead of Alzeadon Felix.
On the bench, prop Luan van der Berg fills the gap left by the injured Kai Pratt, while Gert Kemp will provide loose forward cover in place of Risima Khosa. Rasivhaga’s spot among the replacements is taken by Jade Muller as the reserve outside back.
Powerhouse centre Ethan Adams could again prove to be the attacking spark for the Junior Boks, having gained 128 metres and beaten six defenders in scoring two tries. The elusive Jack Benade also tore Los Pumitas’ defence apart on his way to a devastating hat-trick.
The Junior Wallabies have a number of dangerous runners of their own, including the electrifying Riley Whitfield, and their high-tempo game promises to test South Africa’s defensive organisation. They also beat the Junior Boks in the previous two Rugby Championship tournaments – setting Sunday's encounter up to be a humdinger.
The second-round clash kicks off at 4.10pm. The opening match of the round, between New Zealand and Argentina, starts at 2pm.
Junior Springbok team to face Australia in Gqeberha:
15 Akahluwa Boqwana, 14 Jack Benade, 13 Samuel Badenhorst, 12 Ethan Adams, 11 Khuthadzo Rasivhaga, 10 Yaqeen Ahmed, 9 Hendré Schoeman, 8 Kebotile Maake, 7 Wasi Vyambwera, 6 Luke Canon, 5 Riley Norton (capt), 4 Heinrich Theron, 3 Danie Kruger, 2 Liam van Wyk, 1 Rambo Kubheka.
Replacements: 16 Mahle Sithole, 17 Oliver Reid, 18 Luan van der Berg, 19 JD Hattingh, 20 Gert Kemp, 21 Jayden Brits, 22 Vusi Moyo, 23 Jade Muller.