No 8 Jacobus de Villiers will captain SA U18 against France U18 while lock Martin van Niekerk leads SA U18 A against Ireland U18 at Hoërskool Durbanville on Friday.
The U18 International Series will see South Africa’s two representative sides face their age-group counterparts from Ireland, France, England, and Georgia at three venues.
Boland Landbou outside Wellington will stage the second round on 11 August, and the final round, on 15 August, will take place at Stellenberg.
On Friday, the SA U18 A side will open the tournament against Ireland at 11:30am, before England face Georgia at 1:30pm and the SA U18 team take on France at 3:30pm for the Mehdi Narjissi Cup, in memory of the French player who tragically went missing off the coast at Cape Point in 2024.
The series forms a key part of SA Rugby’s successful Elite Player Development (EPD) pathway and provides the country’s leading schoolboy players with opportunities to test themselves against top international opposition. The tournament event has established itself as an important stepping stone towards junior representative rugby and, ultimately, the higher levels of the South African rugby ecosystem.
ALSO: Saids sounds alarm over schoolboy doping
The two squad feature a total of 10 players selected in the SA U18 squads of last year. The SA U18 side will have the following players from last year in the match 23 against France on Friday: lock Juvan Burden (WP), No 8 De Villiers (SWD), scrumhalf Mickyle Booise (WP), flyhalf Ethan van Biljon (WP), left wing Ncuthu Kepe (Border), outside centre Erin Nelson (EP), fullback Lamla Mgedezi (Free State) and outside back Thabiso Simelane (Blue Bulls).
Meanwhile, in the SA U18 A match 23 to face Ireland, outside centre Nathan Aneke (KZN) and right wing Lucritia Magua (EP) are two players returning from last year’s event.
De Villiers, who is at Oakdale and represented SWD at the U18 Craven Week last month, is the younger brother of Springbok flanker and former Junior Springbok captain, Paul.
SA U18 – 15 Lamla Mgedezi (Free State, Grey College), 14 Anesu Kuzonyei (Sharks, Northwood), 13 Erin Nelson (Eastern Province, Graeme College), 12 Tiaan Basson (Western Province, Paul Roos Gymnasium), 11 Ncuthu Kepe (Border, Queen’s College), 10 Ethan van Biljon (Western Province, Stellenberg), 9 Mickyle Booise (Western Province, Paarl Gimnasium), 8 Jacobus de Villiers (SWD, Oakdale) (c), 7 Jamie Wimble (Sharks, Northwood), 6 Stefan van der Vyver (Blue Bulls, Garsfontein), 5 Jean Dreyer (Western Province, Paarl Gimnasium), 4 Juvan Burden (Western Province, Stellenberg), 3 Nicolas Salamousas (Sharks, Michaelhouse), 2 Charles Whitehead (Western Province, Paarl Gimnasium), 1 Clement Makelele (Sharks, Kearsney College).
Bench: 16 Theo Boshoff (Sharks, Maritzburg College), 17 Aphelele Chamane (Sharks, Michaelhouse), 18 Ruben Lombard (Blue Bulls, Garsfontein), 19 Glodi Tshipamba (Golden Lions, Jeppe), 20 Werner de Bruin (Western Province, Paul Roos Gymnasium), 21 Siphesihle Marule (Pumas, Uplands White River), 22 Luke Doyle (Eastern Province, Graeme College), 23 Achmat Behardien (Western Province, Wynberg), 24 Ethan Barker (Western Province, Paarl Gimnasium), 25 Thabiso Simelane (Blue Bulls, St Alban’s), 26 Luxolo Sonkonokono (Sharks, Westville).
SA U18 A – 15 Rhandzu Mkhabela (Pumas, Nelspruit), 14 Lucritia Magua (Eastern Province, Graeme College), 13 Nathan Aneke (Sharks, Durban High School), 12 Amogelang Mataboge (Sharks, Durban High School), 11 Ruan Genis (Golden Lions, Monument), 10 Anthony Viljoen (Golden Lions, Monument), 9 Rufagon Hendricks (SWD, Outeniqua), 8 Niel du Randt (Free State, Grey College), 7 Werner de Bruin (Western Province, Paul Roos Gymnasium), 6 Linakho Mehlomakulu (Western Province, Rondebosch), 5 Martin van Niekerk (Blue Bulls, Affies) (c), 4 Bernhardt Schulze (Western Province, Paarl Gimnasium), 3 Priden Sibiya (Sharks, Durban High School), 2 Charl Els (Blue Bulls, Affies), 1 Max Malan (Western Province, Paarl Boys’ High).
Bench: 16 Kwaza Gobingca (Western Province, Rondebosch), 17 Matthew Prins (SWD, Outeniqua), 18 Sebastiaan Bekker (Western Province, Paarl Gimnasium), 19 Bulelani Cebani (Sharks, Durban High School), 20 AD Faul (Western Province, Paarl Boys’ High), 21 Nala Shabangu (Sharks, Northwood), 22 Liam de Villiers (Western Province, Paarl Boys’ High), 23 Travis Pheiffer (Western Province, Paul Roos Gymnasium), 24 Alex Jankowich (Sharks, Michaelhouse), 25 Drewyn Baron (Blue Bulls, Garsfontein), 26 Thomas Saunders (Western Province, Paarl Gimnasium).
Photo: Richard Huggard/Gallo Images
The post De Villiers, Van Niekerk lead SA U18 sides appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
No 8 Jacobus de Villiers will captain SA U18 against France U18 while lock Martin van Niekerk leads SA U18 A against Ireland U18 at Hoërskool Durbanville on Friday.
The post De Villiers, Van Niekerk lead SA U18 sides appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
