Foote rejigs Junior Boks for Aussie revenge

Sharks forward Batho Hlekani and Stormers flyer JC Mars start in a new-look Junior Springboks lineup against Australia in their second clash of the 2025 U20 Rugby Championship on Tuesday.

Head coach Kevin Foote has made several rotational changes to his starting XV and included four players who played for the SA U20s last year for the match at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha.

The Junior Boks beat Argentina in their opener last week while Australia forced a late draw against New Zealand, scoring the equalising try after the hooter had sounded.

It is the second match of a double-header at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, following the clash between the defending champions New Zealand and Argentina.

The Australians got the better of their South African U20 rivals last year in the inaugural tournament Down Under, where a brace of tries from Lili Bester, a JF van Heerden touchdown and two Thurlo Williams conversions weren’t enough for the Junior Boks to avoid a 24-19 defeat.

Foote has also handed starts to Wandile Mlaba and Herman Lubbe, both of whom played for the Junior Boks in 2024.

“We play three internationals against quality teams in just 11 days, and with the short turnaround time between matches, we must be smart with our player load management,” he said.

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“We have good squad depth and it’s important for the players to get a taste of international rugby, while we also want to build on our performance against Argentina, knowing that Australia will pose a huge challenge for us.”

Lubbe and Simphiwe Ngobese will pack down either side of hooker Juandre Schoeman. Riley Norton is retained at lock and will captain the team again, partnering with Morne Venter.

The back row sees Xola Nyali, who had a successful campaign with Varsity Cup champions UCT, running out at openside flanker. He teams up with Hlekani, who made a strong impact off the bench in the second half against Los Pumitas, while Mlaba is retained at No 8.

In the backline, there is a new halfback pairing consisting of scrumhalf Ceano Everson and flyhalf Vusi Moyo, Dominic Malgas and Scott Nel link up in the midfield, while speedster Cheswill Jooste is joined in the back three by fullback Mars and left winger Siya Ndlozi.

“It’s a nice match 23 with lots of exciting players and speed amongst the backs, complemented by a big and physical forward pack, and we are looking forward to the game,” said Foote.

“We see Australia as a massive threat with their ball movement and how they play with width, and we expect they will have some special structured set pieces with lineouts and scrums.”

JUNIOR SPRINGBOKS – 15 JC Mars, 14 Cheswill Jooste, 13 Scott Nel, 12 Dominic Malgas, 11 Siya Ndlozi, 10 Vusi Moyo, 9 Ceano Everson, 8 Wandile Mlaba, 7 Batho Hlekani, 6 Xola Nyali, 5 JJ Theron, 4 Riley Norton (c), 3 Herman Lubbe, 2 Juandre Schoeman, 1 Simphiwe Ngobese.
Bench: 16 HB Odendaal, 17 Oliver Reid, 18 Jean Erasmus, 19 Neil Hansen, 20 Thando Biyela, 21 Elrich Visser, 22 Kyle Smith, 23 Gino Cupido.

U20 Rugby Championship fixtures (Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium):
Tuesday, 6 May
2pm: New Zealand vs Argentina
4:10pm: Junior Boks vs Australia
Sunday, 11 May
2pm: Argentina vs Australia
4:10pm: Junior Boks vs New Zealand

Photo: Shaun Roy/Gallo Images