Big names help Junior Boks get the ball rolling

01/27/2025 03:11 PM

SPOTLIGHT: Two familiar faces were spotted at the SA Rugby Academy camp in Stellenbosch, where the Under-20s kicked off their preparation for the year in hot and windy conditions.

The squad - announced last week - assembled at the Stellenbosch Academy of Sport on Sunday and will be in camp until February 16 before travelling to Georgia for a short tour of three matches, which include two international matches and a clash against a club side.

Junior Bok coach Kevin Foote kept a watchful eye on proceedings, and he was a pleased man following the group's first outing of the camp.

He was assisted by coaching consultants Johan Ackermann and Brok Harris, as well as former Springbok No.8 Duane Vermeulen, who forms part of SA Rugby's Mobi-Unit.

"It's awesome to be back, the guys have arrived in good shape, and I want to thank the unions for prepping the players well," said Foote.

"They looked ready to go, there's a lot of excitement and we are looking forward to working with the boys again."

He added: "It is really good to have coach Ackers [Ackermann] with us, as well as Duane and Brok so there's a lot of coaching support for the boys

"We've decided that we're going to start the camp off with three mini-camps or unit sessions. So, the forwards will be focussing on their set-piece, line-outs, mauls, and scrum, while the backs will be looking at their skills execution, press, and kicking game.

"Those are really great fundamentals of the DNA of South African rugby.

"By the end of the training block, we will have our DNA embedded and we will understand from a selection point of view where the guys are at."

The Junior Bok coach also reiterated that the selection door is still wide open: "We don't want to leave any stone unturned, so we are making sure we are giving everyone an opportunity to be seen.

"The guys who maybe attended the two camps in November and December and are not present at the current camp, it's not to say they're out of the mix.

"We've got Georgia coming up, the U20 Rugby Championship, and then we will be building up towards the World Rugby U20 Championship, so there are still lots of opportunities for those guys who want to take it," Foote emphasised.