2013 IRB Junior World Championship - France

[Sidbarret]

Steenkamp leads powerful SA U20 JWC squad


April 25, 2013
Ruan Steenkamp, the Vodacom Blue Bulls flanker, was on Thursday named as captain of South Africa’s Under-20 squad for the IRB Junior World Championship, which will be staged during June in France.
Steenkamp leads a powerful squad of 28 players which include the 2012 IRB Junior Player of the Year, Jan Serfontein, 2012 JWC winning flyhalf Handrè Pollard and Sergeal Petersen, who has starred for the Southern Kings in the Vodacom Super Rugby competition.
As part of their final preparations, the SA U20 JWC squad will play the senior Namibian team on 11 May in Cape Town. The 15 forwards will get together from 1-3 May in Stellenbosch while the full squad will be in camp from 5-12 May to fine tune their tournament preparations.
Dawie Theron, the SA U20-coach who last year led the Junior Springboks to their first JWC title, said the national selectors have picked the strongest available squad.
“The identification, monitoring and selection process of this squad started last November, when we staged the first set of trial matches,” said Theron. “An extended training group was then identified. These players participated in various training camps, training matches and also the most recent tour to Argentina.
“I am therefore very satisfied and pleased with the final squad and we now need to fine tune our preparations before we travel to France. There are some exciting young talent, some players with previous JWC experience while others have played Vodacom Super Rugby and on the HSBC Sevens World Series circuit.
“I am looking forward to working with this squad in the forthcoming month and to see them in action in what promised to be a very tough and demanding tournament in France,” said Theron.
Cheslin Kolbe, Seabelo Senatla and Justin Geduld are full Springbok Sevens internationals while Serfontein and Pollard were both part of the successful 2012 JWC squad.
Aidon Davis, Sergeal Petersen and Pollard are all members of the successful 2012 SA Schools team, while a further six players – Dries Swanepoel, Jacques du Plessis, Steenkamp, Percy Williams, Marne Coetzee and Serfontein - were members of the 2011 SA Schools team.
Steenkamp led the SA Schools in 2011 against France while he was also skipper of Monument Hoërskool in Krugersdorp during his schoolboy rugby days.
http://www.sarugby.net/article.aspx?category=sarugby/juniors&id=1898404
The SA U20 squad is:
Andrew Beerwinkel (Blue Bulls, Prop)
Marne Coetzee (KwaZulu-Natal, Prop)
Aidon Davis (EP Kings, No 8)
Luan de Bruin (Free State, Prop)
Jacques du Plessis (Blue Bulls, Lock)
Robert du Preez (KwaZulu-Natal, Flyhalf)
Ockert du Toit (Free State, Hooker)
Justin Geduld (SARU contracted, Centre)
Irne Herbst (Blue Bulls, Lock)
Jannes Kirsten (Blue Bulls, Lock)
Cheslin Kolbe (Western Province, Fullback)
Sylvian Mahuza (Leopards, Fullback)
Devon Martinus (Golden Lions, Prop)
Luther Obi (Leopards, Wing)
Sergeal Petersen (EP Kings, Wing)
Handrè Pollard (Blue Bulls, Flyhalf)
Seabelo Senatla (SARU contracted, Wing)
Jan Serfontein (Blue Bulls, Centre)
Sithembiso Sithole (Western Province, Prop)
Kwagga Smith (Golden Lions, Flank)
Roelof Smit (Blue Bulls, Flank)
Ruan Steenkamp (Blue Bulls, Flank)
Dries Swanepoel (Blue Bulls, Centre)
Stefan Ungerer (KwaZulu-Natal, Scrumhalf)
Hanco Venter (KwaZulu-Natal, Scrumhalf)
Dennis Visser (Blue Bulls, Lock)
Michael Willemse (Western Province, Hooker)
Percy Williams (Golden Lions, Scrumhalf)
http://www.sarugby.net/article.aspx?category=sarugby/juniors&id=1898404
Team Management
Dawie Theron - Head Coach
Jonathan Mokuena - Team Manager
Dr. Phatho Cele - Doctor
Brendan Venter - Assistant coach
Nazeem Adams - Assistant coach
Norman Laker - Video Analyst
Anuerin Robyn - Physio
Warren Adams - Fitness coach
Rayaan Adriaanse - Media Manager
Yusuf Jackson - SARU Rep

http://www.sarugby.net/article.aspx?category=sarugby/juniors&id=1898404

 

[Rassie]

I notice those SARU contracted players. Are those guys who didn't get a contract from a union from not being good enough so SARU signed them and put them in anyway?

 

[Sidbarret]

re The Baby Bok side

Fewer big name forwards than the 2012 vintage, but should be able to put together a really excellent 10-15.

Pollard - Pietersen - Serfontein - Swanepoel - Senatla - Koble will do some damage if the forwards can deliver some ball to them.

 

[Sidbarret]

I notice those SARU contracted players. Are those guys who didn't get a contract from a union from not being good enough so SARU signed them and put them in anyway?

I think these are players that have been signed to the sevens side, but I am pretty sure Geduld has played a couple of games for WP vodacom cup team.

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

I'm going to say, that Argentina are the smoky's for this tournament. Even more so than last year. They recently beat their SA equivalents 2-1.

 

[Rassie]

I'm going to say, that Argentina are the smoky's for this tournament. Even more so than last year. They recently beat their SA equivalents 2-1.

Yeah we played around like that with them last year as well semi final time we smoked them. Guys getting to know each other. Young lads hopefully learned the lesson at a young age unlike our seniors and Meyer last year trying to play the power game with the Argies in their own back yard. They will murder you and problem with South Africa we are too predictable. Not even mentioning what happens on the field but with squad selections. Choosing the big bashers you might as well let your opponents come watch you practice as those big bashers will be gang tackled whole day long.

 

[Jets]

I am referring to players who played the one year for a certain country and the next year for another. If you are born in a country and smuggled out when a baby is a different scenario. I am talking about guys who only went to another country for education but still represent their country of birth or shall we say they chose to represent them.

Those representation and rules only apply to senior sides. The IRB sees countries as unions and not countries and currently for players playing in junior sides there is no rules restriction or anything that states what qualification is. At current moment Australia can go shop and get them the best 15 out there no matter if their Japanese, Vietnamese or Tazmanian whatsoever. You can go and cherry pick anyone you want and play them. That is the problem I have.

Who have they selected that isn't eligible to play for the Wallabies under IRB regulations? No one. Yes guys play for other JRWC teams one year and Aust the next but they were either born here or have lived here for over 3 years. I know at least 10 guys from the last 6 years who have lived in Aust most, if not all, of their lives and have played for Tonga, Samoa or Fiji. I think it helps these teams get the best players on the field.
Samoa did a recruitment trip to Aust one year looking for players Samoan qualified.

 

[USARugger]

Looking forward to the USA U-20s joining the big boys this year

An upset or two would be nice. If Hughes is still eligible for the tournament this year I wouldn't be surprised if some contract offers start trickling in from Europe if he can maintain the form he's shown for the past ~2 years.

 

[Stallion]

At current moment Australia can go shop and get them the best 15 out there no matter if their Japanese, Vietnamese or Tazmanian whatsoever. You can go and cherry pick anyone you want and play them. That is the problem I have.

Australia can cherry pick from Tasmania because it is part of Australia Rassie

 

[GaffaCHinO]

Question the boys that played for a different team last yeah and will turn out for aus this year when did they come to aus?

I have no problem if they came here at a young age and their rugby was developed by the aus system for them not to make to aus u20 team last year prob due to age and others in front of them why not allow them to play for teams like tonga and samoa to help strenghen those team.

This year they were good enough for the aus team so they play for them..

However i do have a problem if they were brouht over at 16/17 or even worse after their preformace last year at the u20s to make the aus teams better.



Sent from my GT-I9300T using Tapatalk 2

 

[Jets]

They can not play for Australia unless they have lived here over 3 years. No one has been picked up from the JRWC to play for the Aust U20 team.

 

[qwerty51]

Question the boys that played for a different team last yeah and will turn out for aus this year when did they come to aus?

It's more likely they've lived in Aus their whole life and got selected for the Islanders u20s before Aus selection

 

[WorkingClassRugger]

Looking forward to the USA U-20s joining the big boys this year

An upset or two would be nice. If Hughes is still eligible for the tournament this year I wouldn't be surprised if some contract offers start trickling in from Europe if he can maintain the form he's shown for the past ~2 years.

They scored some amazing tries in that game.

 

[USARugger]

Yes they did! The kid playing 1 had one of the nastiest steps in the entire tournament

 

[Rassie]

Australia can cherry pick from Tasmania because it is part of Australia Rassie

I know that its part of Tasmania I threw that in for a bit of comedy value. And I only use Australia as a example I am not saying Australia is doing it. You can replace Australia and put any tier 1 nation there. Its the scenario that is important and what I was trying to explain

 

[Rassie]

Who have they selected that isn't eligible to play for the Wallabies under IRB regulations? No one. Yes guys play for other JRWC teams one year and Aust the next but they were either born here or have lived here for over 3 years. I know at least 10 guys from the last 6 years who have lived in Aust most, if not all, of their lives and have played for Tonga, Samoa or Fiji. I think it helps these teams get the best players on the field.
Samoa did a recruitment trip to Aust one year looking for players Samoan qualified.

That was a example mate. AUstralia is not doing it. I am trying to explain to you what the rules actially states and what teams could do. You can replace Australia with every top rugby playing country in that sentence.

 

[Hugh Jarse]

I know that its part of Tasmania I threw that in for a bit of comedy value. And I only use Australia as a example I am not saying Australia is doing it. You can replace Australia and put any tier 1 nation there. Its the scenario that is important and what I was trying to explain

The organisers of the 1988 Brisbane Commonwealth Games will take issue with what you have just stated about Tasmania.

The Map of Australia at the opening ceremony did not include any islands to the south of the mainland.

I digress.

 

[an observer]

Back to the Australian U 20's and prep for World Championships, there is a trial game tomorrow against Papua New Guinea. Anyone have any thoughts? News? Team lists?

 

[Rassie]

The organisers of the 1988 Brisbane Commonwealth Games will take issue with what you have just stated about Tasmania.

The Map of Australia at the opening ceremony did not include any islands to the south of the mainland.

I digress.

A family that bunks together stays together

 

[JT0406]

Line up for today's trial game (AUS) againgst PNG?