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Numerous player combinations that featured during last season’s provincial competitions were taken into consideration as Theron and his management team finalised the squads that will be known as the Blue and Yellow teams this weekend. At the conclusion of this game the 40-man squad will be reduced to 30 in preparation for the Baby Boks’ training game against a DHL Western Province side next Thursday.
The Sharks Under-19 centre combination of Piet Lindeque and Heimar Williams resumes their midfield partnership in the “Yellow Team” which is dominated with players who competed in the 2010 Absa Under-19 Championship final between DHL Western Province and the Vodacom Blue Bulls.
Absa Under-19 Championship winning DHL WP Under-19 captain Ricky Schroeder has been selected at scrumhalf. Flanker Nizaam Carr who also featured in last year’s competition will join Marcell Coetzee and Free State’s Jean Cook as the loose-trio combination.
Ruan Venter who represented the SA Under-18s during last year’s High Performance programme teams up with DHL WP’s Eben Etzebeth as the lock paring while the Vodacom Blue Bulls Under-19s’ prop Juan Schoeman and hooker Bongi Mbonambi joins Nick Schonnet as the front row combination for the Yellow Team.
“We’ve seen during the last three days that the hunger for competition is most definitely alive amongst the players, so we are expecting a fiercely contested Trials game on Saturday,” said Theron.
“The players of both sides know exactly what is expected of them, and they will most definitely be going all out to impress us. We’re cutting the squad to 30 on Sunday and then a new challenge begins on Monday. No player has been given any guarantee of staying on for our game friendly against DHL Western Province next Thursday, so everyone will get a chance on Saturday to fight for survival here.”
Scrumhalf Lohan Jacobs who represented the Baby Boks during the 2010 IRB World Championships in Argentina was selected in the “Blue Team” and will form a formidable half back partnership with fellow Vodacom Blue Bulls teammate Tony Jantjies – brother of former Baby Boks pivot Elton Jantjies.
The talented Platinum Leopards utility back Kobus Lourens who was one of the outstanding players during last year’s Absa Under-19 Championship will partner the Vodacom Blue Bulls’ Bradley Moolman as the centre combination.
Free State utility back Riaan Britz and lock Carl Wagner who previously represented the SA Schools in 2009 and the SA U18 High Performance squads, will again have an opportunity to stake their claim for national honours on Saturday.
SA Under-20 Trials Teams (Provincial Unions in brackets):
Yellow Team - Ulrich Beyers (Blue Bulls), Courtnall Skosan (Blue Bulls), Piet Lindeque (KwaZulu Natal), Heimar Williams (KwaZulu Natal), Mandla Dube (KwaZulu Natal), Sam Lane (WP), Ricky Schroeder (WP), Marcell Coetzee (KwaZulu Natal), Jean Cook (Free State), Nizaam Carr (WP), Eben Etzebeth (WP), Ruan Venter (Lions), Nick Schonnet (KwaZulu Natal), Bongi Mbonambi (Blue Bulls), Jean Schoeman (Blue Bulls).
Blue Team - Jaco van Tonder (KwaZulu Natal), Clarence Khumalo (WP), Bradley Moolman (Blue Bulls), Kobus Lourens (Leopards), Riaan Britz (Free State), Tony Jantjies (Blue Bulls), Lohan Jacobs (Blue Bulls), Arno Botha (Blue Bulls), Siseko Jaftha (Kwazulu Natal), Gabriel Strydom (Leopards), Carl Wegner (Free State), Jose Julies (Blue Bulls), John Roy Jenkins (Leopards), Jacques Momberg (Blue Bulls), Stephan Kotze (Free State).
Reserves: Backs – Kevin Luiters (Free State), Pieter van der Walt (Blue Bulls), Emil Schwarz (KwaZulu Natal), Sizo Maseko (WP); Forwards – Mashudu Mafela (Leopards), Baksteen van Heerden (Free State), Cornell du Preez (Leopards), Stephan Pretorius (Blue Bulls), Enzo Venter (Lions), Wilhelm van der Slys (WP).
