Junior Boks delighted with 'big boy' Batho
06/30/2024 02:56 AM
Captain Zach Porthen nominated lock Bathobele Hlekani as the unofficial man of the match after helping the Junior Springboks make a physical statement against Fiji in their U20 World Championship opener. DYLAN JACK reports.
Hlekani marked his tournament debut with an impressive performance as the Junior Springboks thrashed Fiji in a 50-point victory in Cape Town on Saturday night.
Starting in the second row alongside vice-captain JF van Heerden, Hlekani provided serious power in South Africa’s engine room, while he was also destructive when asked to carry the ball forward.
Tsek! pic.twitter.com/VJlmgRdCry
— A-P (@rugby_ap) June 29, 2024
“Batho is definitely a big boy,” said Porthen. “He was at lock, but he plays like a flank as well around the pitch.
“You could see that today, with how he sidestepped a few guys and made metres off every carry. That’s what we need. That’s what gets us go-forward and gives us options to play with the backs.
“I think Batho deserved man of the match today.”
Bathobele Hlekani. I wasn't familiar with your game. I am now. pic.twitter.com/biBFhhG5DF
— A-P (@rugby_ap) June 29, 2024
A graduate of Graeme College, Hlekani has enjoyed a remarkable rise from the township of Zwide, where he initially attended Ndzondelelo High School.
The 19-year-old shot onto the radar with his performances for Eastern Province’s U18 Craven Week side in 2023 and earned a call into the SA Schools and SA U18 teams.
Junior Bok coach Bafana Nhleko said that the decision to move Hlekani from the back row to lock has been very purposeful, with the idea to bring him closer to the game.
“Batho is going to be a flank,” Nhleko explained. “We see him as a flank.
“We are very conscious about growing his game. When he came to us, lineouts weren’t a big thing for him and some of his fundamentals weren’t there.
“He’s got natural talent, but the truth is that we started him at lock this year because we wanted to grow other aspects of his game. So he’s not just a guy who waits to get the ball to run. The more he gets the ball, the more he learns. He is only 19.”
Nhleko was happy with how the Junior Boks overcame a nervous start and scrappy second half to claim a comfortable win and was impressed with how his side dealt with a hard-hitting Fiji team.
“We understand Fiji’s energy. Once they get go-forward ball, they get on top of you and they start running those lines, then they become dangerous, because all 15 of their players can do that.
“The important thing for us was to understand that if you aren’t going to win the collisions, you are going to be in trouble. Before you know it, you are chasing shadows.
“This is a statement we wanted to get right as a group, but it’s not only about Fiji. This tournament demands that physicality from you. We watched a bit of the Argentina- England game and that was very physical. We need to keep up that physicality.”
Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images
The post Junior Boks delighted with ‘big boy’ Batho appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
