Training alongside DHL Stormers teammates Damian Willemse and Herschel Jantjies has inspired Junior Springboks scrumhalf Imad Khan to give his all in the U20 World Championship. DYLAN JACK reports.
Khan helped South Africa clinch the U20 Six Nations Summer Series last year, and the resumption of the U20 World Championship – last contested in 2019 – has presented the scrumhalf with the opportunity to spark a Junior Boks title run when the tournament kicks off on 24 June in Stellenbosch.
The talented 19-year-old has represented Western Province at U20 level and made his senior debut in the 2023 Currie Cup. He also made his Vodacom United Rugby Championship debut for the Stormers in January, a seven-minute cameo against Warriors in Glasgow.
At school, Khan was part of a powerhouse Bishops side that also included Suleiman Hartzenberg, Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu and Connor Evans, who have gone on to play feature for Western Province and the Stormers.
Speaking after the official Junior Springbok capping ceremony in Stellenbosch, Khan paid tribute to his Stormers mentors for helping him improve his game.
“Training with the Stormers, you are with world-class players, guys like Damian Willemse and Herschel Jantjies, Manie Libbok, it’s a massive privilege to be there in that circle,” said Khan.
“I am training a lot with Herschel and Paul de Wet. They are great role models and help me out with my game. Coaches like Dawie Snyman, John Dobson and Norman Laker have also helped me a lot.
“Off the field, senior guys like Damian and Steven Kitshoff, they understand, they have gone through the journey and are guiding me where they can. Rubbing shoulders with younger guys like Evan Roos and JJ Kotze, who are also quite experienced, has been amazing.”
DOBSON: ‘Khan is going to be a star’
One of a small handful of players who have been retained from last year, Khan is driven to make the most of a second opportunity to play for the Junior Boks.
“It’s even more of an honour, even though it is my second year now. It’s an even bigger privilege,” he said. “I am super happy to have a second go. Lots of guys have wanted to be here, so I am really privileged to have a second chance.
“That trip to Italy last year boosted my confidence a lot. I learned a lot on and off the field in terms of training, the game that I wanted to try and play. Going into this year, I took all those learnings: working off the ball and confidence in playing different positions.
“Playing in a different country, I learned a lot from that and brought that into this year. My mindset has been very different and I am very grateful to be where I am now.”
Even though he has experienced so much in a still fledgling rugby career, Khan doesn’t think of himself as a senior player inside the Junior Bok squad.
“I haven’t actually thought of that, being in a senior role. It honestly doesn’t feel like that to me. I played in the U20 provincial cup. Being a senior is more about leading the guys in terms of the attitude I bring, the way I train, the quality that I bring out of guys, and helping guys. They help me and I help them. So it’s less of a senior role and more leading by doing.”
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