Foote highlights role of U18 Series in Junior Bok development

South Africa’s premier international age-group tournament, the annual Under-18 International Series, once again proved to be an invaluable platform for the country's top schoolboy young talent, with Junior Springbok coach coach Kevin Foote saying it’s crucial in developing future stars and highlighting the importance of preparing the players for the rigors of professional rugby.

Featuring two national sides, the SA Under-18 and SA Under-18 ‘A’ teams, pitted against international opposition – this year France, England, Ireland and Georgia sent teams – the Series provides a unique opportunity for players to test their skills against players from abroad.

Foote said the series, staged annually in August, serves as a crucial link in SA Rugby’s Elite Player Development (EPD) programme, acting as a feeder system for the Junior Boks.

Like it did in previous seasons, this year’s series – which was hosted at the school grounds of Durbanville, Boland Landbou and Paarl Gimnasium – again underscored its value in exposing South Africa’s most promising players to a higher level of competition and forging the next generation of Junior Bok stalwarts.

The 2025 edition was especially successful for the SA Under-18s, who won all three of their matches, against France, Ireland, and England, by comfortable margins. They kicked off the Series with a 43-21 win over the French in a match that saw both teams compete for the Mehdi Narjissi Trophy in memory of the French player who tragically went missing off the coast at Cape Point last year.

In their second outing, they defeated Ireland by 45-5 before finishing the series on a high by dispatching England 69-24 in the final round. They scored a combined total of 157 points in their three outings for an average of 52.3 points per match, managing a series-high total of 23 tries in the process.

Meanwhile, the SA Under-18 ‘A’ side lost a cliffhanger opening game by three points, 39-36, to Ireland. They bounced back to comprehensively outplay Georgia 57-19, but went down 40-14 to France in their final encounter.

Foote and members of his SA Under-20 coaching staff played an active role, mentoring the SA Under-18 coaches during the preparation of their two teams. The Junior Bok coach was therefore understandably pleased with the efforts of the local teams, praising the contribution of the coaches, and speaking with admiration for the well-established SA schoolboy rugby system.

“I’m super proud of both teams’ performances throughout the series,” said Foote.

“I thought they did well, and I must credit the coaches, whom I thought prepared them well.

“The schools who hosted the three rounds also deserve a lot of credit for their fantastic efforts and hard work for staging the successful match days. The matches were well attended, and the energy from the crowd was electric.

“The schoolboy rugby system in South Africa is amazing. Every school's coach and headmaster; everyone involved in the development of those players, deserves a huge amount of credit. Well done to our coaches, Lwazi Zangqa, Flash Malinga, Clinton van Rensburg and Cobus van Dyk, on doing a great coaching job. And also Louis Koen, who did so well in putting this programme together.”

Foote reckons the prestigious Under-18 International Series – now in its 14th year since the inaugural event in George – plays a vital role in the preparation of these two groups of players as future Junior Springboks.

“There is, of course, a massive benefit to staging those games for our boys as it gives them the opportunity to play together at a higher level,” he said.

“Players like Ethan Adams and Markus Muller, for instance, played together and developed a partnership; and that goes for all combinations of both our teams.

“This series gave them the chance to play international rugby, and exposing them, and the coaches, to gain international experience, which is vital for their future development.”

Foote also expressed gratitude to the international teams who travel to South Africa on a regular basis to compete against the best local schoolboy talent.

With the U18 series providing young players on the cusp of their post-school careers with valuable game time at a high level as they prepare for rugby at senior level, the Junior Bok mentor was also very happy to see so many current SA Under-20s feature in the Carling Currie Cup.

“I spoke with Johan Ackermann (Vodacom Bulls head coach and who was a coaching consultant for the Junior Boks at the World Rugby Under-20 Championship in Italy) recently, and we agreed how awesome it is for our Junior Boks to get playing opportunities in the Carling Currie Cup,” said Foote.

“Hopefully, some of them will be able to put up their hands for selection in the Vodacom United Rugby Championship or the European competition.

“I thought it was brave of the provincial coaches to give them the opportunity to play in the Carling Currie Cup, and it’s nice to see some of them doing well. I am extremely proud of them, and to see them playing so well for their teams is something very special.”

UNDER-18 INTERNATIONAL SERIES RESULTS:

ROUND ONE:

SA U18 ‘A’ 36, Ireland 39

Georgia 35, England 31

SA U18 43, France 21

ROUND TWO:

SA U18 ‘A’ 57, Georgia 19

SA U18 45, Ireland 5

France 53, England 20

ROUND THREE:

SA U18 ‘A’ 14, France 40

Georgia 13, Ireland 13

SA U18 69, England 24