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Cape Town - One hundred and twenty of the most talented Under-16 and Under-17 players in the country will be put through their paces at two Elite Player Development (EPD) camps in the Western Cape from October 1-6, as SA Rugby’s High Performance Department assesses the talent on offer with an eye on grooming the players for the future.
Sixty players will attend the U16 EPD camp at Paarl Gymnasium, and 60 players the U17 camp at Huguenot High School in Wellington, which will be steered SA Rugby EPD Managers Herman Masimla and Nico Serfontein respectively, while SA Rugby’s High Performance Manager Louis Koen will oversee the structures at both camps.
Junior Springbok coach Chean Roux and SA Schools coach Sean Erasmus will also attend the U17 camp, while selected schools coaches from across the country will be invited to both camps where they too will be assessed by SA Rugby’s coaching education manager, Hilton Adonis.
The main objectives of the camps are to assess the players’ physical and technical abilities, and to expose the participating coaches to SA Rugby’s EPD structures to enable them to adopt and implement this vision in their coaching.
“The EPD camps are vital in SA Rugby’s development and Strategic Transformation structures, as these young players are the future of the game,” said SA Rugby’s Director of Rugby, Rassie Erasmus.
“Several players who were invited to these camps in the past went on to represent the SA Schools team in the U18 International Series, the Junior Springboks in the World Rugby U20 Championship, the Springboks and the Springbok Sevens team, which shows how successful this programme is.
“These camps offer us the opportunity to expose the players to our structures and work with them from a young age, and to guide them in terms of what takes to achieve national honours in future.
“Springboks such as Handré Pollard, Damian Willemse and Embrose Papier, Junior Springbok captain Salmaan Moerat and Springbok Sevens player Zain Davids, among others, have all featured in our EPD structures and have gone on to wear the green and gold, and we hope to see some of these players follow in their footsteps.”
U17 EPD squad:
Props: Bame Malesu (St Andrews College), Nolan Pienaar (Menlopark), Ntokozo Hlope (Springs Boys), Robert Benjamin Rodgers (Paul Roos Gymnasium), Simnikiwe Gege (Dale College), Basie Malesu (St Andrews College), Blaine Golden (Glenwood), Jan-Hendrik Wessels (Grey College), Sibusiso Shongwe (Jeppe Boys High).
Hookers: Allister Williams (Paarl Boys High), Enrique Kurt Coutriers (Menlopark), Jacques Goosen (Selborne College), Wynand du Plessis (HTS Drostdy).
Locks: Jacques Maingard (Paarl Boys High), Jarod Peter Cairns (Paul Roos Gymnasium), Wandile Hlope (Maritzburg College), Simon Miller (St. Albans), Dylan De Leeuw (Paul Roos Gymnasium), Ockie Barnard (Westville Boys), Tiaan de Klerk (Menlopark), Minck Sharnick (Paul Roos Gymnasium).
Loose forwards: Daniel Stassen Nel (Paarl Boys High), Deon le Roux (Grey College), Keketso Morabe (Welkom Gimnasium), Pierich Siebert (Paarl Gymnasium), Vernon Paulo (Oakdale), Brogan Tedder (Maritzburg College), George Cronje (Grey College), Jarrod Taylor (Selborne College), Chulumanco Mfakadolo (Northwood), George Oosthuizen (Affies), Gideon Van Wyk (Paarl Boys High), Izan Esterhuizen (Monument).
Scrumhalves: Jurich Claasens (Garsfontein), Kabelo Mokhethi (Jeppe Boys High), Bobby Alexander (Paarl Gymnasium).
Flyhalves: Isrome Phatudi (Klerksdorp), Kade Wolhuter (Paul Roos Gymnasium), Tiaan Botes (Helpmekaar), Declan Raubenheimer (Jeppe Boys).
Centres: Dylan-Cole Setera (Worcester Gymnasium), Henco van Wyk (Monument), Mntungwa Mapantsela (Selborne College), Ruben Labuschagne (Paul Roos Gymnasium), AJ Johnson (Garsfontein), Luca Liebenberg (Bishops), Tyler Glynn Bocks (Paarl Boys High), Marthino Van Wyk (Glenwood).
Outside Backs: Angelo Calvin Osch (Paarl Boys High), Nsuku Joseph Baloyi (Menlopark), Christiaan Pretorius (Paul Roos Gymnasium), Xavier Farmer (Paarl Boys High), Christiaan Pretorius (Paul Roos Gymnasium), Leetairo Jamique Claasen (HTS Drostdy), Munashe Chaitezwi (St Stithians), Roann Mike Jansen (HTS Drostdy), Keane Galant (HTS Drostdy), Tiaan Swanepoel (Stellenberg), Zongamele Ngxiya (Louis Botha).
U16 EPD squad:
Props: Friedrich Weilbach (Paul Roos Gymnasium), Heiko Pohlman (Monument), Johann Wilhelm Jordens (Outeniqua), Sipho Nzoto (Middelburg), Munashe Andrew Mhere (St Stithians College), Sebastian Lombard (Paarl Boys High), Tielman Nieuwoudt (Grey College), Vernon Matongo (Northwood).
Hookers: Francois Breytenbach (Outeniqua), Lukanyo Vokozela (Western Cape Sport School), Ricardo Fourie (Grey College), Tiaan Lange (Menlopark).
Locks: Andreas Gerhard Wild (Paul Roos Gymnasium), Henk Gouws (Glenwood), JW Mare (HTS Middelburg), Nyasha Joseph Gumbo (St Stithians College), Cornelus Corne Rahl (Oakdale), Roald Hattingh (Menlopark), Reinhardt Ludwig (Affies), Tarek Smith (Hermanus High).
Loose forwards: Busang Richard Mmile (St Andrews), Linden Roman (Swartland), Sisonke Vumazonke (Grey College), Werner Groenewald (EG Jansen), Enos Ndiad (SACS), Hardus Rothman (Garsfontein), Maynard Gouws (Rustenburg), Renzo du Plessis (Ben Vorster), Armand Maritz (Paul Roos Gymnasium), Connor De Bruyn (Kearsney College), Rynard Lourens Mouton (Monument), Willie Potgieter (Affies).
Scrumhalves: Bradley Bryan Davids (Paarl Gymnasium), Juan Olivier (Grey College), Nico Steyn (Glenwood), Rowan Cloete (Garsfontein).
Flyhalves: Chad Josias (Outeniqua), Franco Knoetze (Grey College), Sebastine Watney (Helpmekaar), Sihlalo Benge (Queens High School).
Centres: Carlton Banies (De Villiers Graaff), Josh Jonas (Hudson Park High), Larkquin Goliath (Grey High), Curwin Gertse (Paarl Gymnasium), Ethan James (Paarl Gymnasium), Lincoln Adams (Menlopark), Mbasa Nkonki (Westville Boys High), Melbirt van der Spuy (Helpmekaar), Rolen Visagie (Oos-Moot).
Outside Backs: Duran Rayn Koevort (SACS), Keanen Wentzel (Aggeneys High School), Siviwe Zondani (Grey High), Tinotenda Signe (Oakdale), Eben-Ezer Tshimanga (Wynberg Boys High), Nkhensani Flepu (Selborne College), Paschal Ekeji (Grey College), Latica Nela (Hilton College), Luke John Burger (Paul Roos Gymnasium), Sonwabo Edwin Sokoyi (Grey College), Thabani Jehiel Tawana Maguranyanga (St Stithians College).
