Norton leads SA U19 Academy side against France

Junior Springbok captain Riley Norton will lead an exciting-looking SA Under-19 Academy team against France when the two sides clash on Saturday in Châteauroux, approximately three hours’ drive south of Paris.

Norton (lock) will captain a side featuring four more players from the Junior Boks’ World Rugby U20 Championship-winning team in the first of two internationals on their European tour. The tour also includes a match against their Irish counterparts next week in Cork.

The other capped Junior Boks in the starting fifteen for Saturday are Oliver Reid (prop), Siphosethu Mnebelele (hooker) and Vusi Moyo (flyhalf), while Phiwayinkosi “Rambo” Kubheka (prop) will provide impact off the bench.

The SA U19s already got a taste of what to expect when they participated in a series of combined field sessions with the French under-19 squad – who are also based at the French High-Performance Centre in Marcoussis – on Monday.

Junior Bok head coach Kevin Foote described Saturday’s match as a special occasion, with the clash seen in many ways as a curtain raiser to the much-anticipated blockbuster test later Saturday evening in Paris between France and the Springboks.

Foote said his team would also use the match to honour Springbok captain Siya Kolisi, who will run out for his 100th test at the Stade de France.

“We want to play well for our country and play well for Siya in particular, for appearing in his 100th test for the Springboks; and we want to honour him with our performance,” said Foote.

Regarding the selection for Saturday afternoon’s match day squad, which consists of 26 players as agreed to by both teams, Foote said: “It’s always challenging with such a talented group, but there were three things we considered when selecting the group. The first thing was that we tracked the guys the whole year, in the FNB Varsity Cup and the SA Rugby under-21 and under-19 provincial competitions.

“We’ve also seen how they have committed to our programme and how they have settled down and fitted into how we want to play, and what our culture is. And then, of course, we took into consideration their performances in our ‘friendly match’ against France on Monday.”

The SA under-19s only had a week to prepare in Stellenbosch before flying out to Paris last week, but Foote reckons that group cohesion is developing nicely, something which he took into consideration when they selected the team for Saturday’s clash in Châteauroux.

“We have a lot of data on the players, and we think combinations are important, plus we are building on those combinations all the time,” he said.

“We are looking forward to Saturday’s occasion, which will see a clash between two teams who are very proud to represent their country.”

The match in Châteauroux will kick off at 2.30pm local time (3.30pm SA time), and local organisers have confirmed that more than 7 000 tickets have already been sold.

SA U19 Academy team to face France U19 in Chateauroux:

15 Akahluwa Boqwana (Vodacom Bulls)

14 Lindsey Jansen (Vodacom Bulls)

13 Khuthadzo Rasivhaga (Hollywoodbets Sharks)

12 Pieter van der Merwe (vice-captain, Vodacom Bulls)

11 Dylan Miller (DHL Western Province)

10 Vusi Moyo (Hollywoodbets Sharks)

9 Elgernon Meyer (Fidelity ADT Lions)

8 Reuben Kruger (DHL Western Province)

7 Aiden de Costa (DHL Western Province)

6 Kebotile Maake (Vodacom Bulls)

5 Riley Norton (captain, DHL Western Province)

4 Heinrich Theron (Vodacom Bulls)

3 Danie Kruger (DHL Western Province)

2 Siphosethu Mnebelele (Vodacom Bulls)

1 Oliver Reid (DHL Western Province)

Replacements

16 Liam van Wyk (Hollywoodbets Sharks)

17 Phiwayinkosi “Rambo” Kubheka (Hollywoodbets Sharks)

18 Ulrich van der Merwe (Hollywoodbets Sharks)

19 JD Hattingh (Fidelity ADT Lions)

20 Tom Barnard (DHL Western Province)

21 Vuyo Gwiji (Fidelity ADT Lions)

22 Luan Giliomee (Hollywoodbets Sharks)

23 Janco Purchase (Hollywoodbets Sharks)

24 Risima Khosa (Fidelity ADT Lions)

25 Brooklyn Newman (Vodacom Bulls)

26 Unathi Mlotshwa (Vodacom Bulls)