SA U20 trial squad trimmed
The South African national rugby selectors on Monday confirmed the names of players who will return to their provincial unions after the 40-man training squad was reduced to 30 as the SA Under-20s squad prepare for their final trials game against Western Province on Thursday.
All players that carried niggles and injuries following Saturday’s trial match at the Hoërskool Jan van Riebeeck were released, as were the players who will be participating in Super Rugby warm-up games this weekend.
Blue Bulls wing Courtnall Skosan, as well as centres François Venter and Bradley Moolman will return to Pretoria on Monday.
Western Province lock Wilhelm van der Slys and Sharks’ Siseko Jafta, who took no part in Saturday’s trial because of injury, are other players who will be heading back to their local unions.
SA Under-20 coach, Dawie Theron said: “Some of the guys going home can most definitely count themselves unlucky, but this not the end of the road for any of those guys leaving us.
“We concluded our coaching one-on-ones with all 10 players that will be going back to their provinces and have explained to them what we believe they should work on to improve their skills, conditioning and rugby development.”
Theron added: “I understand that quite a number of the guys going back will be competing in the 2011 Vodacom Cup, the Varsity Cup, and we also have players training with their Super Rugby franchise squads.
“Then, we also have players that will be staying here with us until Thursday who are expected to participate in their provincial structures from next week.”
The national selectors decided to keep all three scrumhalves, Ricky Schroeder ( Western Province), Lohan Jacobs (Blue Bulls) and Kevin Luiters (Free State), that were initially selected to the 40-man training squad for the game against Western Province.
The physical and robust wings Emile Schwartz and Mandla Dube (both Sharks), as well as the centre combination of Piet Lindeque and Heimar Williams that impressed during Saturday’s trials game have been selected, as has the Leopards’ Kobus Lourens.
The Blue Bulls Under-19 captain Arno Botha, who sat out of Saturday’s trials because of injury has now fully recovered and will be available for selection for Thursday’s game. Western Province lock Eben Etzebeth and Ruan Venter, who represented the Golden Lions during the 2010 Coca-Cola Under-18 Craven Week, will have another opportunity to impress the national selectors against Western Province.
Theron said: “We are taking our friendly against Western Province very seriously in terms of seeing how far we have developed during the last seven days.
“These Under-20 players will have the chance to match themselves up against a side like Western Province. We are training now with a smaller squad, but our guys will be exposed to more rugby training this week.”
SA Under-20 squad (updated):
Fullbacks: Ulrich Beyers (Blue Bulls), Riaan Britz (Free State)
Wings: Emile Schwartz (Sharks), Mandla Dube (Sharks), Sizo Maseko (Western Province), Clarence Khumalo (Western Province)
Centres: Kobus Lourens (Leopards), Heimar Williams (Sharks), Piet Lindeque (Sharks)
Flyhalves: Tony Jantjies (Blue Bulls), Sam Lane (Western Province)
Scrumhalves: Ricky Schroeder (Western Province), Lohan Jacobs (Blue Bulls), Kevin Luiters (Free State)
Loose forwards: Arno Botha (Blue Bulls), Marcell Coetzee (Sharks), Brendan Groenewald (Free State), Jean Cook (Free State), Ernie Strydom (Leopards), Nizaam Carr (Western Province)
Locks: Jose Julies (Blue Bulls), Eben Etzebeth (Western Province), Carl Wegner (Free State), Ruan Venter (Golden Lions)
Hookers: Bongi Mbonambi (Blue Bulls), Baksteen van Heerden (Free State)
Props: Stefan Kotze (Free State), John Roy Jenkins (Leopards), Nick Schonnet (Sharks), Juan Schoeman (Blue Bulls)
