Competing players for the SA under-18 and SA U18 ‘A’ squads for the fourth coming U18 International Series, which will be staged in the Western Cape from 7 – 15 August have been named. The two handpicked South African sides will take on their U18 counterparts from England, Ireland, France and Georgia in three rounds of top-class international competition at school venues in and around Cape Town. The series forms a key part of SA Rugby’s successful Elite Player Development (EPD) pathway and provide the nation’s leading schoolboy players with opportunities to test themselves against top international opposition.
The age-group event has established itself as an important stepping stone towards junior representative rugby and, ultimately the higher levels of the South African rugby ecosystem.
The SA U18 side will again be coached by Lwazi Zangqa, assisted by Heinrich Martin, while Flash Malinga will guide the SA U18 ‘A’ team, with Cobus van Dyk as his assistant. Both teams will also share the services of defence coach Clinton van Rensburg. Ten players selected in the SA U18 squads represented South Africa at this level last year. They are Juvan Burden (Western Province), Jacobus de Villiers (SWD), Mickyle Booise (Western Province), Ethan van Biljon (Western Province), Ncuthu Kepe (Border), Erin Nelson (Eastern Province), Lamla Mgedezi (Free State), Thabiso Simelane (Blue Bulls), Nathan Aneke (KZN) and Lucritia Magua (Eastern Province).
The tournament will be played at three venues, with Hoërskool Durbanville hosting the opening round on 7 August, Boland Landbou outside Wellington staging the second round on 11 August, and Stellenberg High School presenting the final round on 15 August.
Rugby is a tough game, focused on progressing the players’ physique as well as skill and talent. Training and overseeing the coordination of the young untested players on the pitch will prove to be a delicate and complex task but not impossible for Zangqa and Martin for the SA U18 and Malinga and Van Dyk for the SA U “A” team. The current batch of trained players such as Burden, de Villiers, Booise, van Biljon, Kepe, Nelson, Mgedezi, Simelane, Aneke and Magua are among those who will have to test their mettle in upcoming matches. It will all depend on how the game is played. Only one team can score the most tries before the end of the final countdown.
The juniors will have a challenging battle ahead for them. Hoërskool Durbanville, Boland Landbou, and Stellenbosch High School promise to be no smooth walk for them, but it will be a test they cannot walk away from. If they succeed in scoring on their respective teams and attaining glory, doors to a career in professional rugby will open. This career will lead to provincial teams such as the Lions, Bulls, Sharks and even extend to the National team, the Springboks. Competing against other national teams such as England’s Roses or New Zealand’s All Blacks or Kiwis will be a priority.
Meanwhile as New Zealand’s national team the All Blacks participated in matches on tour of South Africa, there was low turnout in the stadiums. Ticket sales for the All-Blacks vs South Africa’s URC franchises have been slower than expected. A surprise, given the New Zealand team’s popularity.
With less than a week before New Zealand face the Stormers in Cape Town, organisers have confirmed that none of the tour matches are close to selling out. The All Blacks begin their Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry tour against the Stormers at Cape Town Stadium on Friday, 7 August before taking on the Sharks at Hollywoodbets Kings Park on Tuesday, 11 August, the Bulls at Loftus Versfeld on Saturday, 15 August and the Lions at Ellis Park on Tuesday, 25 August. Tickets for the opening fixture in Cape Town are priced at R650 and R1 350. According to an SA Rugby spokesperson, demand has fallen well short of expectations.
“Sales range from modest to poor, so ‘sold out’ signs won’t be going up anytime soon,” the spokesperson told Rapport. “We hope things pick up, but it has been a struggle so far.”
It would seem that South Africans are not that eager to brave the bad weather for a rugby match. The arrival of the All Blacks from New Zealand was meant to boost tourism as well as raise interest in the rugby team’s profile as they arrived in South Africa. However, it would seem most in South Africa and New Zealand would prefer to watch the matches from the comfort and safety of their homes. South Africa’s regional rugby teams, the Stormers, the Sharks, the Bulls, and the Lions as well as New Zealand’s national team need ticket sales to generate the income they depend on as Rugby clubs. It should not be forgotten that professional sport thrives as a business. Most fans would also have jobs to work depending on what time the matches are held.
Whether there will be an increase in ticket sales remains to be seen. Spectators flock to stadiums to see how their favourite sports teams perform as well as see which side will accomplish victory.
The All Blacks will play seven matches in South Africa on their ‘Rugby’s Greatest Rivalry’ Tour, including three tests and four matches against provincial sides. A fourth Test will take place in Baltimore in the United States on 12 September.
See extract below.
- Friday, 7 August: Stormers vs New Zealand, Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town – 19:10
- Tuesday, 11 August: Sharks vs New Zealand, Hollywoodbets Kings Park, Durban – 19:10
- Saturday, 15 August: Bulls vs New Zealand, Loftus Versfeld, Pretoria – 19:10
- Saturday, 22 August: First Test, Ellis Park, Johannesburg – 17:10
- Tuesday, 25 August: Lions vs New Zealand, Ellis Park, Johannesburg – 19:10
- Saturday, 29 August: Second Test, Cape Town Stadium, Cape Town – 17:10
- Saturday, 5 September: Third Test, FNB Stadium, Johannesburg – 17:10
- Saturday, 12 September: Fourth Test, M&T Bank Stadium, Baltimore, United States – 23:00 (SA time)
Article written by:
Yacoob Cassim
Journalist at Radio Al Ansaar
