Junior Boks suffer late injury blow ahead of tournament opener

The Junior Boks have suffered a late injury blow ahead of their opening match against Argentina in the Sanzaar U20 Rugby Championship in Gqeberha on Monday.

Hooker Siphosethu Mnebelele, who sustained an ankle injury late last week in Stellenbosch, has been replaced by Mahle Sithole for the four-nation tournament from April 27 to May 9.

The tournament, which also features teams from New Zealand and Australia, will be played on three match days (April 27 and May 3 and 9) at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.

“Injuries are unfortunately part of the game, and we want to wish Siphosethu well with his recovery,” SA coach Kevin Foote said.

“He one of our leaders in the group and has a lot of experience of the Junior Bok set-up.

Towering lock Riley Norton will lead the Junior Springbok into battle at the third edition of Sanzaar’s U20 Rugby Championship in Gqeberha from April 27 to May 9. The tournament, featuring teams from South Africa, New Zealand, Australia and Argentina, will be played at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on three match days (April 27 and May 3 and 9). Junior Bok head coach Kevin Foote has included four members of the SA U20 squad that won the Junior World Championship in Italy in 2025, as well as several of the most promising young local rugby talents. Apart from Norton, Siphosethu Mnebelele, Oliver Reid and Vusi Moyo were members of the successful Junior Bok side of last year. They are joined in the squad by Markus Muller, Ethan Adams (both centres), Gert Kemp (No 8) and Kai Pratt (prop), all of whom played for the SA U-18 side last year. The Junior Bok squad was picked from the SA U20 training group who had been preparing for the forthcoming Sanzaar event in Stellenbosch for the past two weeks. Cheswill Jooste (wing) and Zekhethelo Siyaya (fullback) were placed on standby pending their duties in the United Rugby Championship, along with Jade Muller and Akahluwa Boqwana. Injury also ruled out regular Junior Bok training squad member Luan Giliomee after the Blitzbok utility player sustained a niggle which prevented him from attending the latest training camp. Foote said to reduce the training squad from 43 players to 31 for the tournament had not been easy. “We asked a lot of the group over the past two weeks, because we wanted to step up the intensity and increase their fitness, and they responded splendidly,” he said. “The Junior Boks know from experience that the Southern Hemisphere teams play a high-tempo game, and we are looking forward to playing an exciting brand of rugby with lots of ball in play. “We tailored our camp programme around those focus areas so that we can prepare our players accordingly for what they will encounter in the Rugby Championship. “We also continued to work hard on our cohesion and our game model, and the coaching staff are very pleased with the effort of all the young men. “Unfortunately, we can only take a squad of 31, and so we feel for those players who missed out on final selection. We will fine-tune our final preparations in Gqeberha before our opening match on April 27 against Argentina.” With the Junior World Championship in mind, in June and July in Georgia, the Junior Bok coach said the door was not closed on those players who missed out on selection. Junior Springbok squad: Props: Oliver Reid (Stormers), Rambo Kubheka (Sharks), Jordan Jooste (Stormers), Danie Kruger (Stormers), Kai Pratt (Sharks). Hookers: Siphosethu Mnebelele (Bulls), Liam van Wyk (Sharks). Locks: Heinrich Theron (Bulls), Riley Norton (captain, Stormers), JD Hattingh (Lions), Jaythen Orange (Lions). Loose forwards: Kebotile Maake (Bulls), Risima Khosa (Lions), Luke Canon (Lions), Thomas Beling (Bulls), Wasi Vyambwera (Sharks), Gert Kemp (Stormers). Scrumhalves: Hendré Schoeman (Bulls), Jayden Brits (Stormers). Flyhalves: Yaqeen Ahmed (Stormers), Vusi Moyo (Sharks). Centres: Ethan Adams (Lions), Samuel Badenhorst (Stormers), Markus Muller (Stormers), Olunje Mehlomakulu (Stormers). Outside backs: Khuthadzo Rasivhaga (Sharks), Lindsey Jansen (Bulls), Jack Benade (Stormers), *Jade Muller (Cheetahs), *Akahluwa Boqwana (Bulls), Alzeadon Felix (Sharks), *Cheswill Jooste (Bulls), *Zekhethelo Siyaya (Sharks). Players marked with an asterisk are on standby. Follow The Herald WhatsApp channel today and stay connected to the stories shaping our world. The Herald

“However, his injury has now given Mahle a great chance to showcase his abilities, and I am sure he is excited about his call-up.”

The Junior Boks arrived in Gqeberha on Sunday and are spending the week sharpening their preparations for Monday’s clash against Argentina.

“The people of the Friendly City are passionate rugby supporters, and we are looking forward to connecting with them during our stay here in Gqeberha,” Foote said.

“We are all excited to be here and are looking forward to the week’s training and our participation against the best teams in the southern hemisphere.”

Foote has included three members of the SA U20 squad that won the Junior World Championship in Italy in 2025, as well as several of the most promising young local rugby talents.

New Zealand have named a powerful squad of 30 players to defend their Sanzaar U20 Rugby Championship title in Gqeberha from April 27 to May 9. The Baby Blacks held on to beat the Junior Springboks 48-45 in front of 14,835 spectators at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha to retain their title in dramatic fashion in 2025. Having to play with 13 players in the final minutes, NZ overturned a fast Junior Springbok start to the match, which saw the home side scoring 19 unanswered points in the opening 15 minutes to pave the way for 26-24 at the break. New Zealand Rugby (NZR) national pathways head coach Kane Jury said the selected players had earned their places through their efforts during the recent U20 development programme in Taupo. “The programme was a standout success, both on and off the field,” he said. “One hundred of our most promising players arrived eager to learn, compete, and showcase their talent, and they delivered in spades. “As we head into the Rugby Championship, there’s genuine excitement about this group around who they are, who they can become, and how we can contribute to the legacy of this team.” The squad was selected by Jury and his assistant coaches Brock James, James Lentjes and Will Henry, with NZR high-performance talent identification manager PJ Williams providing detailed insights and data during the selection process. One additional player will be added to the squad before they fly out to SA on April 20, while nine non-travelling reserves will attend a pre-departure camp at the New Zealand Campus of Innovation & Sport in Wellington from April 12 to 19, which will include a warm-up match against the Hurricanes Hunters development team. The first edition of the U20 Rugby Championship was held in Australia in 2024, with the up-and-coming stars of Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and SA doing battle. In 2025 the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha in the Eastern Cape played host to the six matches, with New Zealand successfully defending their title. New Zealand U20 squad Hookers: Josh Findlay (Crusaders, Canterbury), Luka Patumaka Makata (Blues, Auckland), Jericho Wharehinga (Hurricanes, Hawke’s Bay) Props: Alexander Hewitt (Hurricanes, Wellington), Dane Johnston (Chiefs, Taranaki), Henry Stuart (Highlanders, Otago), Ethan Webber (Highlanders, Otago) Locks: Jake Frost (Crusaders, Canterbury), John Falloon (Hurricanes, Wellington), Max Fale (Crusaders, Canterbury) Loose forwards: Alex Arnold (Highlanders, Otago), Kobe Brownlee (Crusaders, Tasman), Micah Fale (Chiefs, Waikato), Patrick Mauga (Hurricanes, Hawke’s Bay), Finn McLeod (Crusaders, Canterbury), Logan Platt (Blues, Auckland), Caleb Woodley (Blues, Auckland) Scrumhalves: Jackson Hughan (Highlanders, Southland), Boston Krone (Blues, Auckland), Charlie Sinton (Chiefs, Bay of Plenty) Flyhalves: Cohen Norrie (Blues, Auckland), Mika Muliaina (Highlanders, Southland) Midfielders: David Lewai (Chiefs, Waikato), Siale Pahulu (Blues, Auckland), Angus Revell (Blues, Auckland), Haki Wiseman (Chiefs, Taranaki) Outside backs: Oliver Guerin (Chiefs, Waikato), Jay Reihana (Highlanders, Southland), JD Van Der Westhuizen (Blues, North Harbour), Logan Williams (Crusaders, Canterbury) Meanwhile, Junior Bok coach Kevin Foote has named a training squad that is busy preparing for the Gqeberha tournament at a two-week camp in Stellenbosch. Sharks utility back Luan Giliomee, who recently made his international debut for the Blitzboks, has been named as a utility player. Bulls wing Cheswill Jooste, who, like Vusi Moyo, was also a member of last year’s successful Junior Bok side, was not considered for this training camp due to his URC commitments. Fixtures April 27: 2pm: New Zealand v Australia; 4.10pm: Junior Boks v Argentina. May 3: 2pm: New Zealand v Argentina; 4.10pm: Junior Boks v Australia. May 9: 2pm: Argentina v Australia; 4.10pm: Junior Boks v New Zealand. Follow The Herald WhatsApp channel today and stay connected to the stories shaping our world. The Herald

Captain Riley Norton, Oliver Reid and Vusi Moyo were members of the successful Junior Bok side in 2025.

They are joined in the squad by Markus Muller, Ethan Adams (both centres), Gert Kemp (No 8) and Kai Pratt (prop), all of whom played for the SA U18 side last year.

The Junior Bok squad was picked from the SA U20 training group who had been preparing for the forthcoming Sanzaar event in Stellenbosch for the past two weeks.

Cheswill Jooste (wing) and Zekhethelo Siyaya (fullback) were placed on standby pending their duties in the United Rugby Championship, along with Jade Muller and Akahluwa Boqwana.

Injury also ruled out regular Junior Bok training squad member Luan Giliomee after the Blitzbok utility player sustained a niggle which prevented him from attending the latest training camp.

Foote said reducing the training squad from 43 players to 31 for the tournament had not been easy.

“We asked a lot of the group over the past two weeks, because we wanted to step up the intensity and increase their fitness, and they responded splendidly,” he said.

“The Junior Boks know from experience that the southern hemisphere teams play a high-tempo game, and we are looking forward to playing an exciting brand of rugby with lots of ball in play.

“We tailored our camp programme around those focus areas so that we can prepare our players accordingly for what they will encounter in the Rugby Championship.”

Fixtures

April 27, 2pm: New Zealand vs Australia; 4.10pm: Junior Boks vs Argentina.

May 3, 2pm: New Zealand vs Argentina; 4.10pm: Junior Boks vs Australia.

May 9, 2pm: Argentina vs Australia; 4.10pm: Junior Boks vs New Zealand.

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