Junior Boks name three debutants for U20 Championship opener

By SABC Sport
27th June 2024

The Junior Springboks have included three uncapped players in their matchday squad for their opening match of the World Rugby U20 Championship against Fiji at the Cape Town Stadium on Saturday.

Hooker Luca Bakkes, flyhalf Liam Koen and outside back Likhona Finca are all in line to make their Junior Bok debuts when the encounter kicks off at 19h00, broadcast live on Supersport.

Bakkes will make his run-on debut, packing down in the front row between props Ruan Swart and Junior Bok captain Zachary Porthen, while Koen will wear the No 10 jersey. Finca is set to make his debut off the bench should he be sent on as an outside back replacement.

Otherwise, the rest of the Junior Boks have a settled look with the rest of the starting line-up and replacement bench consisting of players who participated in the recent SANZAAR Under-20 Rugby Championship in Australia.

The starting line-up has five changes and a positional switch from the run-on side that beat Argentina in the last Rugby Championship match at the Sunshine Coast Stadium in Queensland, while there are several tweaks among the reserves.

Apart from Bakkes' inclusion in the front row in place of Juan Smal, there is also a change at No 4 lock, with Thomas Dyer sitting out because of a niggle and the versatile Bathobele Hlekani moves from the side of the scrum to form the lock partnership with JF van Heerden.

Thabang Mphafi, who played off the bench against Argentina U20s, fills Hlekani's position at No 7 flank, with No 6 Siba Mahashe and No 8 Tiaan Jacobs completing the back row.

Koen will partner scrumhalf Asad Moos in a new-look halfback pairing, while the only other backline change sees Michail Damon come in at fullback in place of Bruce Sherwood.

Junior Bok coach Bafana Nhleko said the team has worked hard over the past week and worked on the lessons from the Rugby Championship in Australia, and they are ready to meet the challenge of Fiji on Saturday.

The Fijians come into the tournament as a well-oiled combination because of their recent success in the Oceania tournament over fellow Pacific neighbours Tonga, Moana Pasifika and Samoa.

"We had a good holding camp in Stellenbosch last week and, since our move to our tournament base in Green Point on Tuesday, the focus has been on fine-tuning preparations," Nhleko said.

"Fiji are a team with threats all round the park, big strong boys with excellent balls skills and dangerous with ball in hand. You need to be on it for 80 minutes, concentration wise, to deal with their threats.

"For us, it's about excelling in our fundamentals, maintaining our strengths around playing from set piece and being in a position to make the right decisions when there are opportunities. The contact area behaviours will be key on both sides of the ball."

The match is the first of three Pool C matches for the SA Under 20s, followed by games against Argentina and England.

Junior Bok team: 15 Michail Damon, 14 Joel Leotlela, 13 Jurenzo Julius, 12 Joshua Boulle, 11 Litelihle Bester, 10 Liam Koen, 9 Asad Moos, 8 Tiaan Jacobs, 7 Thabang Mphafi, 6 Sibabalwe Mahashe, 5 JF van Heerden, 4 Bathobele Hlekani, 3 Zachary Porthen (captain), 2 Luca Bakkes, 1 Ruan Swart.

Replacements: 16 Juan Smal, 17 Liyema Ntshanga, 18 Casper Badenhorst, 19 Keanu Coetsee, 20 Divan Fuller, 21 Ezekiel Ngobeni, 22 Tylor Sefoor, 23 Likhona Finca.