New-look Junior Boks to face Griquas

Hooker Johan Grobbelaar will captain the Junior Springboks in their second warm-up match against Griquas in Kimberley on Wednesday.

The match 23 features several players who were either on the bench against the Griffons or did not play at all, and includes four Varsity Cup players, who joined the squad on Tuesday morning (Manie Libbok, Wikus Groenewald, Len Massyn and Reinhard Nothnagel).

Only five players in the run-on team started in the clash against the Griffons – lock Salmaan Moerat, flyhalf Benhard Janse van Rensburg, winger Mfundo Ndhlovu, flanker Nama Xaba, and Hendre Stassen, who moves from flanker to lock. 

ALSO READ: Junior Boks battle past Griffons

'The purpose of these warm-up matches is to allow the players a fair opportunity to show us what they have to offer and for us to try out player combinations, so this team was always going to look different to the Griffons side,' explained Roux.

'Most of the players starting this week were either on the bench or were not selected for the first game, and some of the players have joined us from the Varsity Cup, and we are excited to see what they have to offer.

'This match [6pm kick-off] and Saturday’s clash against the Free State Cheetahs [at Shimla Park at 3pm] are the only matches we have left to see what the players can do before we finalise our squad of 28 for the World Rugby U20 Championship, so the players know that they have to make the most of this opportunity.'

The Junior Springboks will face France, Georgia and Argentina in the pool stage of the World Rugby U20 Championship in Tbilisi, Georgia, on 31 May, 4 June and 8 June respectively.

Junior Springboks – 15 Jean-Luc Cilliers, 14 Manie Libbok, 13 Wandisile Simelane, 12 David Brits, 11 Mfundo Ndhlovu, 10 Benhard Janse van Rensburg, 9 Jondre Williams, 8 Juarno Augustus, 7 Muller Uy, 6 Nama Xaba, 5 Hendre Stassen, 4 Salmaan Moerat, 3 Carlu Sadie, 2 Johan Grobbelaar (c), 1 Gerhard Steenekamp.
Subs: 16 Wikus Groenewald, 17 Lee-Marvin Mazibuko, 18 Marnus van der Merwe, 19 Reinhard Nothnagel, 20 Len Massyn, 21 Embrose Papier, 22 Damian Willemse, 23 Wayne van der Bank.

Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images

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