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Mass changes to Baby Boks

Cape Town - Junior Springbok coach Dawie Theron made 11 changes to his side to play Italy on Friday at the UWC Stadium in their second 2012 IRB Junior World Championship encounter. Kick-off is at 18:45.

Only centre Jan Serfontein, lock Paul Willemse, prop Steven Kitshoff as well as captain and flank, Wiaan Liebenberg, remained from the side that lost their opening match against Ireland.

Four players - Marais Schmidt (fullback), Travis Ismaiel (wing), William Small-Smith (centre) and Khaya Majola (flank) - will make their first appearance at the tournament.

Flyhalf Handrè Pollard and Braam Steyn (eighthman) were the unused substitutes against Ireland.

"This was always part of our planning, as we only have a three day turnaround between the two matches," said Theron.

"We are keen to redeem ourselves against Italy as we disappointed ourselves and our supporters against the Irish.

"I am convinced that the new players in the team will provide us with a lot of positive energy."

Liebenberg said the changes will not affect their play.

"We have been training together as a group for a while now and the new guys slotted in with ease," he said.

"We are lucky to have such a short turnaround in that we can now rectify the mistakes we made in our opening game.

"We are still in the hunt to win the tournament."

Team:

15. Marais Schmidt (Golden Lions), 14. Tshotsho Mbovane (Western Province), 13. William Small-Smith (Blue Bulls), 12. Jan Serfontein (Blue Bulls), 11. Travis Ismaiel (Blue Bulls), 10. Handrè Pollard (Western Province), 9. Vian van der Watt (Golden Lions), 8. Braam Steyn (Sharks), 7. Wiaan Liebenberg (Blue Bulls, captain), 6. Khaya Majola (Sharks), 5. Ruan Botha (Golden Lions), 4. Paul Willemse (Golden Lions), 3. Oliver Kebble (Western Province), 2. Jason Thomas (Blue Bulls), 1. Steven Kitshoff (Western Province)

Substitutes: 16. Mark Pretorius (Golden Lions), 17. Allan Dell (Sharks), 18. Pieter Steph du Toit (Sharks), 19. Fabian Booysen (Golden Lions), 20. Abrie Griesel (Blue Bulls), 21. Tony Jantjies (Blue Bulls), 22. Pat Howard (Western Province), 23. Maks van Dyk (Sharks)

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