Junior Springboks coach Kevin Foote has called on his charges to rise to the occasion during Saturday’s World Rugby U-20 Championship final against New Zealand in Rovigo, Italy.
When he named the unchanged match-23 squad for the clash, Foote said they have done well to reach their first final since 2014 and are excited to face their rivals with a settled side.
“This has been our settled combination for most of the year and the team play with great synergy,” said Foote, admitting again it was difficult to leave some of the players out of the match-day squad.
“Given how well everyone has played, it was such a difficult task to leave anyone out. We are grateful for the absolute selflessness of the players not selected for Saturday’s final and for how hard they are training to ensure the team is well prepared for New Zealand.”
The line-up means the bench will again feature a split of six forwards and two backs in what promises to be a hotly contested battle.
“We decided to pick six forwards on the bench again as they made a difference in the semifinal against Argentina and we also learnt valuable lessons when we faced New Zealand in the U-20 Rugby Championship in South Africa a few months ago.”
Lock Riley Norton will again lead the familiar-looking side that has featured in most of the pool matches, as well as Monday’s semifinal victory over Argentina.
South Africa have been consistent throughout the tournament, registering comprehensive wins over Australia, defending champions England and Scotland in the group stage.
That was followed up by a hard-fought victory over a gritty Argentina in the semifinals.
One of the impressive things about the Baby Boks has been their dynamic pack of forwards that has laid an excellent platform for their electric backline to score good tries.
The halfback pairing of Haashim Pead (scrumhalf) and Vusi Moyo (flyhalf) are among the tournament’s leading points scorers.
Pead has scored six tries in four games, the most by any player so far this year, while also providing numerous assists for teammates.
Moyo has racked up 50 points in his four appearances, placing him at the top of the points scoring chart.
Just like South Africa, New Zealand are not pushovers as they are unbeaten in the tournament, having topped Pool B before dispatching a dangerous French side in the semifinals to set up an exciting final showdown with the Junior Boks.
SA team to face New Zealand in Rovigo: 15 Gilermo Mentoe, 14 Cheswill Jooste, 13 Demitre Erasmus, 12 Albie Bester, 11 Jaco Williams, 10 Vusi Moyo, 9 Haashim Pead, 8 Wandile Mlaba, 7 Bathobele Hlekani, 6 Xola Nyali, 5 JJ Theron, 4 Riley Norton (capt), 3 Herman Lubbe, 2 Siphosethu Mnebelele, 1 Simphiwe Ngobese
Replacements: 16 Jaundré Schoeman, 17 Oliver Reid, 18 Jean Erasmus, 19 Jaco Grobbelaar, 20 Matt Romao, 21 Stephanus Linde, 22 Ceano Everson, 23 Dominic Malgas
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