The South African Under 20 squad that will represent at the IRB Junior World Championship in Italy later this year has been announced, with three KwaZulu-Natal players making the 25 man squad.
Paul Jordaan, Francois Kleynhans and Nic Schonert are the three Sharks recruits that made the grade, and we would like to congratulate them on this great achievement.
The team will be captained by loose forward Arno Botha, a former Affies boy. The squad includes three players that took part in this tournament last year, in Francois Venter, Wandile Mjekevu and Siyamthanda Kolisi.
South Africa U20 Squad & Team Management:
Backs:
Craig Barry (Western Province)
Ulrich Beyers (Blue Bulls)
Johan Goosen (Free State)
Paul Jordaan (KwaZulu-Natal)
Tshotsho Mbovane (Western Province)
Wandile Mjekevu (Golden Lions)
Pieter Rademan (Free State)
Courtnall Skosan (Blue Bulls)
Jaco Taute (Golden Lions)
Francois Venter (Blue Bulls)
Johan Welthagen (Leopards)
Forwards:
Arno Botha (Blue Bulls) – captain
Nizaam Carr (Western Province)
Jean Cook (Free State)
Cornell du Preez (Leopards)
Eben Etzebeth (Western Province)
John Roy Jenkinson (Leopards)
Siyamthanda Kolisi (Western Province)
Stephan Kotze (Free State)
Francois Kleinhans (KwaZulu-Natal)
Mbongeni Mbonambi (Blue Bulls)
Nic Schonert (KwaZulu-Natal)
Juan Schoeman (Blue Bulls)
Michael van Vuuren (Free State)
Ruan Venter (Golden Lions)
Team Management:
Dawie Theron (Head coach)
Eric Sauls (Assistant coach)
Pine Pienaar (Assistant coach)
Willem Oliphant (Team Manager)
Yusuf Jackson (Media & PR Manager)
Dr Arthur Williams (Team Doctor)
Aneurin Robyn (Physiotherapist)
Graham Bentz (Conditioning coach)
Important dates:
Final training camp: Monday 9 May – Friday 20 May 2011, Jeffreys Bay
Pre-departure camp: Monday 30 May – Saturday 4 June, Johannesburg
Squad departs: Johannesburg for Italy on Saturday 4 June
IRB World Junior Championship: Friday 10 June – Sunday 26 June
South Africa U20 Pool C matches at the IRB Junior World Championship:
Friday 10 June 2011 – SA v Scotland in Padova at 20h10
Tuesday 14 June 2011 – SA v Ireland in Treviso at 20h10
Saturday 18 June 2011 – SA v England in Padova at 20h10
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Congrats to Paul, Francois and Nic!
Make your country proud boys!
Nic is a guy that’s very quietly making great strides…
Jeez, but we have NO shortage of tighthead props. Wonder how Julian Redelinghuys’s knee is coming along
@robdylan (Comment 2) :
Really happy for Francois though!
Congrats and good luck to all the guys. Go Bokkies!
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 3) : ja – me too.
Still sad that guys like Hiemar and Piet got screwed though.
Also bloody tragic that Mielie Swartz can’t be there
no Marcell Coetzee???? WTF???
@robdylan (Comment 6) : lol , boet you will find very few sharks with that coaching staff etc
@robdylan (Comment 6) : Can’t understand that one.
we lucky to have the 3 we got there trust me
Well done Sharkies!!! Why Coetzee left out? He is the best U/20 Loosie we have.
Very Big and Physical Pack and some super fast, x-factor backs. Paul Jordaan gonna do well. 🙂
@sharks_lover: it is terrible if there exists provincialism in the coaching staff(if true) 🙁
Well if the players that were left out(sharks),now they are better players,then I hope they don’t lose heart but decide to re-double their efforts and come back fightnig twice as hard.
Well if the players that were left out(sharks),know they are better players,then I hope they don’t lose heart but decide to re-double their efforts and come back fightnig twice as hard.
@bergshark (Comment 12) : there will always be that side of it in SA
🙁 yeah,the sad reality of rugby in sa .. 🙁
Didnt think Theron would have provincial bias
@clayton:so you saying he is being influenced? .. 😉
@bergshark (Comment 18) : How did we get there 😯
@Clayton(PJLD) (Comment 19) : haha 🙂
@robdylan: bit off topic:where is johan schoombee?
Welldone Franna,Nick and Paul make us proud.
@bergshark (Comment 21) : how can you possibly lose such a big oke? 🙂
The exclusion of Marcell is just another shocker in the history of this youngster.He did not make any of the 3 Kwazulu Natal school squads in 2009 (i was witness to this disgrace) and now this.I dont even want to start complaining about quotas and provincialism because this player is above that.All i can say to his dad because i know he reads here is vasbyt oom Dries the Sharks in Sean,Plum and Rudolph believe your son is the best and that is why he is playing super 15 rugby.
@robdylan: 😀 me?no. Just hope the sharks haven’t managed to lose him.hasn’t he had a bad run with injuries,though?
@basson: what school did marcell attend?
@oom Dries: geluk met u seun se insluiting in sharks span vir more se wedstryd.hoop dis die begin van groot dinge in sy rugbyloopbaan.
So few Sharks!! Shocking.
@greatsharksays: agree 🙁
Marcell captained Port Natal to 22 wins out of 22 in 2009.Glenwood is on its doorstep. Doppies La Grange also from Porties did not make cravenweek either???
@basson (Comment 24) : Amen to that.
And very glad to have Oom Dries reading our site 🙂
@bergshark (Comment 25) : he has… I believe he’s playing club at the moment
@basson: yes,wonder how many sharksworld bloggers knew doppies is from kzn?
Lions now playing with sharks centre combo..
The fact that Marcell had been withdrawn from the SA U 20 squad to Argentina to join the Sharks in NZ cost him in the end.
@robdylan:thanks for info.hope he can have a season without any injuries.
@bergshark (Comment 32) : The irony is not lost on me, that’s for sure. I was beetching and moaning when we let Brad Barrit go. We haven’t had a decent centre combo since 2007.
Should have an arti on who we reckon has been sharks best centre combo since 1990?
Let’s get Oom Dries to come out of the shadows and post a comment to congratulate his son.
Asseblief Oom Dries..
@bergshark (Comment 36) : Werner Gey von Pittius and Sam Gerber? 🙂
Second that 🙂
@robdylan: who??? :?? Lol not quite what I had in mind 🙂
Pieter muller and another 😀
Must go now,hope to be back for vc semi.
@basson (Comment 24) : Interesting, how dis he land up at the academy then, was he spotted at a schools game or is he there on his own account.
Im assuming he is at the academy.
Very proud of my son’s rugby achievements this year.Would like to ask the SA u/20 selectors what more must Marcell do to get into the SA u/20 squad.To all Marcell’s fans he won’t disappoint you.
To the selected Sharks u/20’s have a great tournament
From:Oom Dries
A very proud father
Thanks Adriaan for your comments
@basson (Comment 33) : That sucks, and is not fair if its the reason.
@Dries (Comment 44) :
Thank you so much Oom Dries!!
Your support on the site is valued, I hope we can do your sons followers proud!
@Dries (Comment 44) :
And I have to agree, after seeing Marcell playing a few games this season so far, I fail to understand how he is not in that squad.
He will prove on Saturday and in the future games why he should have been there!
@Dries (Comment 44) : dankie vir die boodskap, oom! Ons is almal baie trots op Marcell en weet hy sal weer uiters goed presteer môre.
Om vir die Sharks in Super Rugby te speel is vir my baie meer werd as om SA o/20 to speel in elk geval.
@robdylan (Comment 48) :
Goeie Afrikaans van die Engelsman! Wel gedaan Oom Rob!
@Dries (Comment 44) : but I must admit to being worried about something…. what’s with the Blue Bulls jersey? 🙂
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 49) : dankie meneer!
Ek hét nogal in Pretoria grootgeword 🙂
Well done to all who made the SA team do us proud guys
Oom Dries well done to Marcell’s achievements. He is a great player and has a great future ahead of him.
Another player by the Sharks, Dwayne Kelly, had a great season last year and I think he was totally overlooked by the SA u/20 selectors.
Also well done to Francois and Nic. Guys make the Sharks proud! 🙄 😛
@Dries (Comment 44) : Marcell is one of my favourite players of all the rugby players out there at the moment, so I was sad to read of his omission from the RWC squad. However in the big picture he is advancing his pro career at a far quicker rate than many most rugby players of his age and this is something to take heart from. Hopefully he establishes himself in the senior Sharks side really soon, to ease the disappointment of not being selected for the u20 RWC. I’d like to say to Marcell: Keep your chin up, your fan club grows with every game.
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 49) : Arno Botha went to Nylstroom, another small school, and played Craven Week for Limpopo Bulls. He’s not from Affies.
@Kaygee (Comment 53) :
Dwayne Kelly had a really good season last year.
Do you know where he is at the moment? In the club scene?
I’m assuming Lohan Jacobs is injured. It would be another injustice if he were omitted. I’ve heard that former Bishops no.9 Guy Whitfield has been called in to cover for injured Ricky Schroeder.
@beet (Comment 55) :
Former Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool (Affies) loose forward Arno Botha will captain the squad
Thats from the press release.. sorry if it is wrong..
Well done to the Sharks juniors that made the squad. The competition for places is unbelievable. Their were some really tough decisions to make on who to take and leave behind. So congrats on your achievements boys.
@beet (Comment 59) :
Any idea why Marcell Coetzee is not there?
I think it’s just like a blogger mentioned above, he got called up to the Sharks Super rugby squad at the wrong time. Others used the chance in Argentina to solidify their places. He’s not the only good player to miss out. How Steven Kitshoff or a ‘fit’ Lohan Jacobs gets overlooked is beyond me. If I see any ‘big shots’ at schoolboy rugby tomorrow, I’ll ask for more info and email you if I learn anything new?
@beet (Comment 61) :
Thanx uncle, you are a legend.
You at the game tomorrow?
Kitsoff of the Western Province prop hey?! Ginger kid?!
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 62) : Yeah Kitshoff is the ginger. Along with Paul Jordaan, Johan Goosen and Ruan Venter, arguably the best schoolboy player last year. I lent out my season ticket, anticipating a better offer which hasn’t materialised yet. But hope floats! Enjoy the game Richard and keep up the good work here at Sharksworld.
@beet (Comment 63) :
Thanx man.. but I think we need to chat about you doing some school rugby summaries or match reports.. will do the boys good to see their names online..
@Richard Ferguson (Comment 56) : Hi Richard, Dwayne is currently contracted for the Sharks last I have heard. I have seen him playing for Collegians u/20A – and he is an exceptional player and certainly deserves a spot in the Currie Cup later this year!!
looking forward to seeing how these guys do against the England U20 lot. No doubt the England game will revolve around these three players – Manu Tuilagi at centre, Owen Farrell at flyhalf and Billy Vunipola (still at school) at 8. Nullify these guys and we will win. Also worth noting that most of this England lot have been exposed to Premiership rugby which always give them an edge at this tournament
@slammerboy (Comment 66) : Some good English heritage in those three. 🙁
@slammerboy (Comment 66) : Did you say England? It reads like a NZ team.
@bergshark (Comment 32) : dam i never knew doppies was from kzn, if u add jannie boshoff thats 3 kzn centers at the lions
@Salmonoid (Comment 68) : there rugby team becoming a bit like their cricket team
Add to that list prop Mako Vunipola brother of Billy. This chap tips the scales at 130 kg! Their dad played for Tonga at the 95 and 99 World Cups