Willemse at 10 for Junior Boks

DHL Stormers flyhalf Damian Willemse will start at flyhalf for the Junior Springboks in their final warm-up match against the Free State Cheetahs on Saturday.

With Junior Boks coach Chean Roux set to name his 28-man squad to travel to Georgia for the World Rugby U20 Championship in two weeks’ time, he has stuck to his player rotation policy.

Only three players named in the starting team were in the run-on side against Griquas on Wednesday. Manie Libbok moves from wing to fullback, Wandisile Simelane switches from centre to wing, and David Brits will start at outside centre.

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Flanker Nama Xaba, who will lead the team, was initially named in the squad to play in Welkom, but was forced to withdraw before the match, due to illness.

Embrose Papier will pair up with Willemse, who made his debut for the Stormers in Super Rugby last month. Meanwhile, Western Province prop Lee-Marvin Mazibuko will start alongside the Cheetahs' duo of prop Kwenzo Blose and hooker Marnus van der Merwe, while Ruben de Villiers joins forces with Reinhard Nothnagel.

The loose trio will feature No 8 Len Massyn and flankers Hacjivah Dayimani and Nama Xaba.

Junior Springboks – 15 Manie Libbok, 14 Wandisile Simelane, 13 David Brits, 12 Cornel Smit, 11 Ilunga Mukendi, 10 Damian Willemse, 9 Embrose Papier, 8 Len Massyn, 7 Hacjivah Dayimani, 6 Nama Xaba, 5 Reinhard Nothnagel, 4 Ruben de Villiers, 3 Lee-Marvin Mazibuko, 2 Marnus van der Merwe, 1 Kwenzo Blose.
Subs: 16 PJ Botha, 17 Wikus Groenewald, 18 Carlű Sadie, 19 Ewan Coetzee, 20 Muller Uys, 21 Juarno Augustus, 22 Rewan Kruger, 23 Jean-Luc Cilliers, 24 Wayne van der Bank, 25 Daniel Jooste, 26 Boan Venter.

Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images

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