Junior Boks make minor tweaks ahead of crucial clash with England in Rovigo
Following their dominant display against Australia in Calvisano, head coach Kevin Foote has kept the bulk of the team intact. The only alteration in the starting fifteen sees Gino Cupido (pictured) slot in at outside centre in place of Demitre Erasmus.
Image: World Rugby
The Junior Springboks have made just one change to their starting lineup for Friday’s decisive World Rugby U20 Championship pool match against England in Rovigo, Italy.
Following their dominant display against Australia in Calvisano, head coach Kevin Foote has kept the bulk of the team intact. The only alteration in the starting fifteen sees Gino Cupido slot in at outside centre in place of Demitre Erasmus, who has been ruled out due to illness.
“Demitre suffered a bit of heat stroke after the game against Australia, and with that in mind, we’ve brought Gino into the starting team,” Foote explained. “It’s never easy making changes when players have done well, but we believe this combination gives us a strong balance for the challenge ahead.”
There are also two tactical changes on the bench. Ceano Everson and Dominic Malgas come in as replacements, covering scrumhalf, centre, and flyhalf. They replace Erich Visser and Ian van der Merwe, who, along with Erasmus, played key roles in the win over the Junior Wallabies.
With England, the defending champions, standing between South Africa and a place in the play-offs, Foote acknowledged the magnitude of the occasion.
“There is a huge amount of excitement around Friday and the magnitude of this match. We know how important this is, playing against the defending champions. It’s an honour to be involved in such a game and a real challenge for us this week. We can’t wait for it.”
The Junior Boks remain focused, despite the euphoria that followed their convincing victory over Australia. Foote praised his players for staying grounded and maintaining their hunger for the upcoming battle.
“We are very proud of the guys in terms of how focused and humble they’re staying after the victory over Australia and just how hungry they are for the next challenge against England.”
Riley Norton will again lead the team from lock, with kick-off set for 6pm on Friday evening. The match will be broadcast live on SuperSport Rugby. The encounter promises to be one of the highlights of the pool stage, as two proud rugby nations go head-to-head with a spot in the next round at stake.
Junior Springbok team to face England in Rovigo:
Starting XV: 15 Gilermo Mentoe 14 Cheswill Jooste 13 Gino Cupido 12 Albie Bester 11 Siyabonga Ndlozi 10 Vusi Moyo 9 Haashim Pead 8 Wandile Mlaba 7 Bathobele Hlekani 6 Xola Nyali 5 JJ Theron 4 Riley Norton (captain) 3 Herman Lubbe 2 Siphosethu Mnebelele 1 Simphiwe Ngobese
Replacements: 16 Jaundré Schoeman 17 Oliver Reid 18 Jean Erasmus 19 Jaco Grobbelaar 20 Matt Romao 21 Ceano Everson 22 Dominic Malgas 23 Jaco Williams