Buthelezi to lead Junior Springboks at World Rugby U20 Championship

May 08, 2019
1621
Ultimate Rugby

Phendulani Buthelezi will lead the Junior Springbok World Rugby U20 Championship squad, which features four players who participated in the tournament last year, for the global showpiece in Argentina from 4 to 22 June.

Buthelezi (loose forward), Rikus Pretorius (centre) – who was named as the co-vice-captain with Francke Horn (No 8) – David Coetzer (flyhalf) and Asenathi Ntlabakanye (prop) are the four members of the squad that won the bronze medal at the 2018 edition of the event in the south of France.

The 28-man squad – consisting of 16 forwards and 12 backs – also includes Springbok Sevens player Angelo Davids, who played in in the Hong Kong and Singapore HSBC World Rugby Sevens Series tournaments, and Buthelezi’s Sharks’ Super Rugby team-mates Fezokuhle Mbatha (hooker) and JJ van der Mescht (lock).

All of the players in the squad with the exception of Davids, Dian Bleuler (prop), Vaughen Isaacs (fullback), David Coetzer (flyhalf), David Kriel (utility back), Elrigh Louw (lock) and Mnombo Zwelendaba (centre) travelled with the team to the UK last month for the warm-up matches against England and Wales.

Roux’s team will wrap up their preparations for the international showpiece at their base in Stellenbosch in the next three weeks, with the team departing for Argentina on Wednesday, 29 May.

The Junior Springboks will be based in Rosario for the duration of the World Rugby U20 Championship where they will meet Scotland in their opening match on Tuesday, 4 June, before taking on Georgia (Saturday, 8 June) and New Zealand (Wednesday, 12 June) in their remaining pool matches.

The semi-finals will be contested on Monday, 17 June, and the final on Saturday, 22 June.

Junior Springbok squad for the World Rugby U20 Championship (in alphabetical order):

Thaakir Abrahams (Cell C Sharks; utility back)

Dian Bleuler (DHL Western Province; prop)

Phendulani Buthelezi (captain – Cell C Sharks; loose forward)

David Coetzer (DHL Western Province; flyhalf)

Angelo Davids (SA Rugby contracted; wing)

Caleb Dingaan (Cell C Sharks; wing)

Kudzwai Dube (Vodacom Blue Bulls; prop)

Celimpilo Gumede (Cell C Sharks; loose forward)

Jaden Hendrikse (Cell C Sharks; scrumhalf)

Francke Horn (vice-captain – DHL Western Province; No 8)