Baby Boks aim to impress in France
Scrumhalf Lohan Jacobs and flank Lean Schwartz said on Wednesday that the players selected for the SA U20 squad will be aiming to impress the national selectors with outstanding performances during their two week tour to France.
The Baby Boks will participate in three friendlies against French Invitation teams. With the IRB Junior World Championship taking place in Argentina on June 5, the main reason for this tour is to expose the SA U20s to as many international fixtures as possible prior to the tournament.
“It’s every junior player’s dream to play at the IRB Junior World Championship and hopefully solid performances against the French will take me a step closer to selection in the final squad,” said Schwartz.
“There’s strong competition for places within the squad and from other players who have not made the French tour, which is great. So it’s important for me and every player to prove our worth and hopefully cement our place in the final group.”
Jacobs, who captained the SA U18 High Performance team in their friendlies against French Invitation teams last year, said he was looking forward to the challenge of touring with the Baby Boks.
“There’s a great vibe within the squad and everyone is well aware of the bigger picture. We all want to be in Argentina for the World Championships,” said Jacobs.
“If you look at the scrumhalf position, there are three of us, Louis Schreuder, Frederick Muller and myself, who are all fighting to wear the number nine jersey on this tour, which is great. But we also know there are other scrumhalves in the country who also want to play for SA U20, so we going to give it our everything on tour.”
South African U20 coach Eric Sauls insists that positions are still up for grabs in preparation for the IRB Junior World Championship. The SA national selectors will be closely monitoring the performances of all players on tour as well as the top U20 performers who are currently competing in the Varsity Cup as well as those individuals competing in the forthcoming Super 14 and Vodacom Cup competitions.
“This is a very important tour for us as national selectors and I will use this opportunity to see which players will be travelling with us to Argentina,” said Sauls.
“So this will be a great opportunity for the players on tour to put their hands up and make a statement. At the same time, those individuals who excel in the domestic South African competitions could also be rewarded with selection to our future squads.”
