Junior Springbok squad for the World Rugby U20 Championship
- 1978
Salmaan Moerat will lead a Junior Springbok squad featuring seven players who participated in the World Rugby U20 Championship last year, from 30 May to 17 June in the south of France.
Moerat, who established himself as a fine captain for the SA Schools team in 2016, will have the support of Damian Willemse, Wandisile Simelane, Muller Uys, Gianni Lombard, Rewan Kruger and Daniel Jooste, all of whom were members of the 2016 SA U20 squad that won the bronze medal in Georgia.
In total, 22 of the players in Junior Springbok coach Chean Roux’s 28-man squad also have junior international experience having represented the SA Schools or SA Schools A teams in the Under-18 International Series, while every player with the exception of lock Ruan Vermaak – who is recovering from a knee injury – featured in the warm-up matches against Georgia.
Junior Springbok squad for the World Rugby U20 Championship (in alphabetical order):
Zak Burger - Sharks, scrumhalf
Ben-Jason Dixon - Western Province, lock
Lubabalo Dobela - Free State, flyhalf
Muller du Plessis - Sharks, utility back
Schalk Erasmus - Western Province, hooker
Tyrone Green - Golden Lions, wing
Jack Hart – Golden Lions, scrumhalf
Lyle Hendricks - Western Province, centre
Daniel Jooste* - Western Province, Hooker
Cohen Kiewit - Golden Lions, prop
Rewan Kruger* - Free State, scrumhalf
Gianni Lombard* - Golden Lions, fullback
Nathan McBeth – Golden Lions, prop
Salmaan Moerat (capt)* - Western Province, lock
Sihle Njezula - Western Province, wing
Ruan Nortje - Blue Bulls, lock
Asenathi Ntlabakanye - Xerox Golden Lions, prop
Rikus Pretorius - DHL Western Province, Centre
Manuel Rass - Golden Lions, centre
Sazi Sandi - Western Province, Prop
Dian Schoonees - Golden Lions, looseforward
Wandisile Simelane* - Golden Lions, centre
PJ Steenkamp - Golden Lions, looseforward
Alulutho Tshakweni - Eastern Province, prop
Muller Uys* - Western Province, looseforward
Tiaan van der Merwe - olden Lions, Prop
Ruan Vermaak - Golden Lions, lock
Damian Willemse* - Western Province, flyhalf
*denotes 2017 World Rugby U20 Championship player