SA Schools in Games Sevens
In fact three of them, Curwin Bosch, Heino Bezuidenhout and Embrose Papier played for SA Schools in 2014 and 2015.
Bosch, who was the Player of the 2014 Craven Week, was born in Port Elizabeth and is at Grey High School there.
Heino Bezuidenhout was born in Roodepoort, went to school in Jeffreys Bay and is now at Daniël Pienaar in Uitenhage.
Papier was born in Clanwilliam, went to schools in Darling and was at Swartland in Malmesbury before moving to Hoërskool Garsfontein in Pretoria.
The other SA Schools players are Manie Libbok, Stedman-Gee Gans who moved from Vredenburg to Pretoria, Hacjivah Dayimani, Johan Visser and Damian Willemse.
The Commonwealth Youth Games this year are in Apia, the capital of Samoa in the romantic Pacific Islands. Each sevens team is allowed 12 players born in 1997 or 1998.
SA Under-18 Sevens team manager, Marius Schoeman, was pleased with the strength of the team and said their goal is to go one step further than the silver medal won at the previous edition of the tournament on the Isle of Man, where South Africa lost to England in the final. Paul Delport, a former Springbok Sevens captain and current coach of the successful SA Sevens Academy team, will coach the team.
Schoeman said: “This group is the result of an identification process that started two years ago at the Under-16 Grant Khomo Week. We have monitored their progress ever since, and they all came through a rigorous training camp hosted in April and last December.
“The majority of the squad consists of players who did very well for the SA Schools team in the recent Under-18 International Series against quality opposition. Although we won't have much time together before we fly to Samoa, I am confident that the boys will perform well. ”
The squad will assemble on Thursday, 28 August 2015, in Johannesburg as part of the greater Team SA contingent for a three-day training camp, and are set to depart for the Pacific Islands on Sunday, 30 August 2015.
SA Under-18 Sevens team: Manie Libbok (Outeniqua & South Western Districts), Embrose Papier (Garsfontein & Blue Bulls), Francois Agenbag (Free State, Grey College), Curwin Bosch (Grey PE & Eastern Province), Heino Bezuidenhout (Daniël Pienaar & Eastern Province), Stedman Gans (Waterkloof & Blue Bulls), Donovan du Randt (Glenwood & KwaZulu-Natal), Hacjivah Dayimani (Jeppe & Golden Lions), Johan Visser (Paarl Gymnasium & Western Province), Damian Willemse (Paul Roos & Western Province), JC Pretorius (HTS Middelburg & Pumas), Mfundu Ndlovu (Standerton & Pumas)
Manager: Marius Schoeman (SARU)
Coach: Paul Delport (SARU)
Issued by SARU Corporate Affairs
Photo: Curwin Bosch & Heino Bezuidenhout against England
