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Bulls flank to lead Baby Boks

Cape Town - Blue Bulls flank Ruan Steenkamp was on Thursday named as captain of South Africa’s Under-20 squad for the IRB Junior World Championship, which will be staged during June in France.

Steenkamp leads a powerful squad of 28 players which include the 2012 IRB Junior Player of the Year, Jan Serfontein, 2012 JWC winning flyhalf Handre Pollard and Sergeal Petersen, who has starred for the Kings in the Super Rugby competition.

As part of their final preparations, the SA U20 JWC squad will play the senior Namibian team on May 11 in Cape Town. The 15 forwards will get together from May 1-3 in Stellenbosch while the full squad will be in camp from May 5-12 to fine tune their tournament preparations.

Dawie Theron, the SA U20-coach who last year led the Junior Springboks to their first JWC title, said the national selectors have picked the strongest available squad.

“The identification, monitoring and selection process of this squad started last November, when we staged the first set of trial matches,” said Theron. “An extended training group was then identified. These players participated in various training camps, training matches and also the most recent tour to Argentina.

“I am therefore very satisfied and pleased with the final squad and we now need to fine tune our preparations before we travel to France. There are some exciting young talent, some players with previous JWC experience while others have played Vodacom Super Rugby and on the HSBC Sevens World Series circuit.

“I am looking forward to working with this squad in the forthcoming month and to see them in action in what promised to be a very tough and demanding tournament in France,” said Theron.

Cheslin Kolbe, Seabelo Senatla and Justin Geduld are full Springbok Sevens internationals while Serfontein and Pollard were both part of the successful 2012 JWC squad.

Aidon Davis, Sergeal Petersen and Pollard are all members of the successful 2012 SA Schools team, while a further six players – Dries Swanepoel, Jacques du Plessis, Steenkamp, Percy Williams, Marne Coetzee and Serfontein - were members of the 2011 SA Schools team.

Steenkamp led the SA Schools in 2011 against France while he was also skipper of Monument Hoërskool in Krugersdorp during his schoolboy rugby days.

SA Under-20 squad:

Andrew Beerwinkel - Blue Bulls - Prop
Marne Coetzee - KwaZulu-Natal - Prop
Aidon Davis - EP Kings - Number 8
Luan de Bruin - Free State - Prop
Jacques du Plessis - Blue Bulls - Lock
Robert du Preez - KwaZulu-Natal - Flyhalf
Ockert du Toit - Free State - Hooker
Justin Geduld - SARU contracted - Centre
Irne Herbst - Blue Bulls - Lock
Jannes Kirsten - Blue Bulls - Lock
Cheslin Kolbe - Western Province - Fullback
Sylvian Mahuza - Leopards - Fullback
Devon Martinus - Golden Lions - Prop
Luther Obi - Leopards - Wing
Sergeal Petersen - EP Kings - Wing
Handre Pollard - Blue Bulls - Flyhalf
Seabelo Senatla - SARU contracted - Wing
Jan Serfontein - Blue Bulls - Centre
Sithembiso Sithole - Western Province - Prop
Kwagga Smith - Golden Lions - Flank
Roelof Smit - Blue Bulls - Flank
Ruan Steenkamp - Blue Bulls - Flank
Dries Swanepoel - Blue Bulls - Centre
Stefan Ungerer - KwaZulu-Natal - Scrumhalf
Hanco Venter - KwaZulu-Natal - Scrumhalf
Dennis Visser - Blue Bulls - Lock
Michael Willemse - Western Province - Hooker
Percy Williams - Golden Lions - Scrumhalf

Team Management:

Dawie Theron - Coach
Jonathan Mokuena - Manager
Dr. Phatho Cele - Doctor
Brendan Venter - Assistant coach
Nazeem Adams - Assistant coach
Norman Laker - Video Analyst
Anuerin Robyn - Physio
Warren Adams - Fitness coach
Rayaan Adriaanse - Media Manager
Yusuf Jackson - SARU Rep
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