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Cape Town - Springbok Sevens star and Vodacom Free State Cheetahs centre Robert Ebersohn, will captain the SA Under-20 rugby side at the IRB Junior World Championship in Japan next month.
The South African Rugby Union (SARU) announced on Tuesday the 26 players that will represent South Africa and the side also include three players. Francois Brummer, Cornel Hess and Ebersohn, who represented South Africa at last year's tournament in Wales. Many players in the squad have also represented their unions at Vodacom Cup level.
"We have selected a very strong squad with the intentions of winning the World Cup," said SA Under-20 coach Eric Sauls.
"This will be one of the most gruelling tournaments, especially considering the fact a team such as Australia have Super 14 players in their squad. But we have selected a squad that includes the best Under-20 players in the country.
"Our skipper, Ebersohn, has been one of the stand-out players for the Springbok Sevens teams while Gerhard van den Heever has also played Super 14 rugby with the Bulls this year.
"From this squad, we can select a side that can play an exciting brand of 15-man rugby and also be defensively strong as well. We also have on the management team, Nico Serfontein, who coached the Blue Bulls to Vodacom Cup success last year, as well as Deon Davids, who coaches the Boland Currie Cup side," he said.
The South African Under-20 side will play a training match against Boland on Wednesday as part of their final preparations ahead of the tournament in Japan.
The squad departs for Japan on Sunday, May 31.
The Under-20 tournament, which replaced the annual Under-19 and Under-21 tournaments run by the IRB, debuted last year in Wales, where New Zealand emerged as inaugural champions.
The Squad:
Clayton Blommetjies (Blue Bulls), Zane Botha (BB), Francois Brummer (BB), David Bulbring (Golden Lions), Tendayi Chikukwa (BB), Kyle Cooper (KZN), Lionel Cronje (Free State), Flyhalf Ross Cronje (KZN), Josias Ebersohn (FS), Robert Ebersohn (FS), Nicolaas Hanekom (WP), Yaasir Hartzenberg (WP), Cornel Hess )BB), Morne Mellet (BB)
Jan Andre Marais (KZN), Sampie Mastriet (BB), Kenechukwu Okafor (KZN), Caylib Oosthuizen (GL), Coenrad Oosthuizen (FS), Rudy Paige (GL), Julian Redelinghuys (KZN), Johann Sadie (WP), Marnus Schoeman (BB), Omphile Seabela (BB), Christiaan Stander (BB), Gerhard van den Heever (BB),
