Rising star Jurenzo Julius growing in leaps and bounds with the Sharks

By Doug Mattushek
16th March 2025

The stars have seemingly aligned for Junior Springbok Jurenzo Julius, who is going from strength to strength at the Sharks.

Born in Namibia, Julius moved to South Africa as a child and picked up rugby at Paul Roos Gymnasium. After choosing to represent SA, he was snapped up by the Junior Boks for the World Rugby U20 Championship last year. The talent started in 12 out of the 13 Junior Bok fixtures and scored seven tries during his tenure.

Signed by the Sharks, Julius believed he'd be back running out for their U21 side after the global showpiece. But he was pulled into the Sharks' senior side for his Currie Cup debut just a week after the end of the campaign, where he scored a brace of tries.

And he's never looked back.

In the United Rugby Championship season, the backline prodigy has beaten 21 defenders in his nine clean breaks and made 30 successful carries. Julius' form was rewarded with a call-up to the Springboks' first alignment camp of the season and he also earned personal honours this week when he was named SA Rugby's Junior Springbok of the Year for 2024.

Having achieved so much before his 21st birthday, the world is at his feet. But he is remaining grounded and learning from the likes of World Cup winners Lukhanyo Am, Grant Esterhuizen and Makazole Mapimpi at the Sharks.

"I could not have asked for a better place," said the 20-year-old of the Sharks setup.

"Guys like Grant Esterhuizen and Lukhanyo Am guiding me, and Makazole Mapimpi helping me understand what it's like to play with a team.

"I think the environment has helped me grow so much and played a role in where I am now.

"The rapid growth has been a surprise because I was planning on going back to playing U21 [for the Sharks]. But it happened differently. I'm only turning 21 in May, so it has been a surprise."

Over the course of his young career, Julius has been employed at both centres, the wing and fullback. However, he prefers the outside channel in midfield, where his tackle-busting skills can be put to good use.

"Outside centre allows me to use a bit more of my skill set, whereas inside is a bit more physical for me, so I would say outside centre," he added.

Alongside prodigious talent Ethan Hooker - who joined Julius at the Bok alignment camp - the Sharks have a young centre pairing that could well be running out for the Springboks in the future.