OPINION: Exciting junior talent bodes well for the future of Springbok rugby

Junior Springbok flyhalf ⁠Yaqeen Ahmed celebrates after scoring a superb try in their U20 Rugby Championship match against the Australian U20 team at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha on Sunday. Picture: Richard Huggard/Gallo Images The Junior Springboks have made a major statement with two big wins in the U20 Rugby Championship, and head into a title decider against New Zealand U20s on Saturday. Two thumping bonus-point winsover the Australianand Argentinian U20 teams mean coach Kevin Foote’s team are five points clear at the top of the log and need just one more point in their final match to secure a first ever title.

It follows hot on the heels ofthe Junior Boks’unbeaten World Rugby Junior World Championship title run in Italy last year, and sets them up well for the defence of that title in Georgia in June and July. But what these impressive performances have also brought is plenty of excitement for the future of the Springboks, as many of these young players are showing that they have the potential to be stars in the future. A number of players from last year’s crop are already in the Bok frame and could possibly even debut this year.

Players such as Batho Hlekani, Cheswill Jooste and Haashim Pead could find themselves in the mix, while a few others are steadily making a name for themselves. CurrentJunior Bokcaptain Riley Norton, Vusi Moyo, Siphosethu Mnebelele, Rambo Khubeka and Oliver Reid will all get a second crack at another world title this year and will continue to raise their profiles. A thrilling new group have also come into the fold this year, including the barnstorming Ethan Adams, Yaqeen Ahmed, Wasi Vyambwera, Kebotile Maake and others, who have announced themselves to the watching world.

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Zekhethelo Siyaya would also be among them if he wasn’t playing for the Sharks in the URC and he will likely join up, along with a few others also on franchise duty, for the world championships. One of the most talked about youngsters, Markus Muller, has been unable to showcase his talents at the U20 Rugby Championship because of a finger injury, but he, too, has already made it into the big time, debuting for the Stormers just two weeks ago. The past two years of Junior Bok success bodes well for the future of the senior national team.

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