Five capped Junior Boks included in Rugby Championship U20 squad

JOHANNESBURG –  International rugby heads to the Eastern Cape next month when the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha plays host to this year's edition of the Rugby Championship Under-20.

Junior Springbok head coach Kevin Foote has named a competitive Junior Springbok squad consisting of 31 players for the 2025 edition of the Rugby Championship U20.

The competition will be staged from 1 to 11 May at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha.

 Five capped junior Boks have been named in the squad, including three who took part in last year’s inaugural Southern Hemisphere tournament in Australia, where the SA U20s finished second behind New Zealand.

“We are absolutely thrilled that the U20 Rugby Championship will be hosted on home soil this year. It’s a rare and special opportunity for the Junior Boks to play in front of our passionate home fans here in South Africa and this tournament is crucial for our preparations ahead of the World Rugby U20 Championship in Italy,” said Junior Springbok head coach Kevin Foote.

Batho Hlekani (loose forward), Haashim Pead (scrumhalf), JC Mars (outside back) are the trio who will be returning for their second Rugby Championship, while the two other returning Junior Boks are Wandile Mlaba (loose forward) and Herman Lubbe (prop). 

The second edition of the southern hemisphere tournament will bring together the best young rugby stars from South Africa, New Zealand, Argentina, and Australia, with double-headers taking place on 1, 6 and 11 May at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.

“The Rugby Championship is a great opportunity for our players to test their abilities against quality opposition from New Zealand, Australia, and Argentina and we are looking forward to the challenge to play quality opposition in front of our passionate Eastern Cape fans,” said Foote.

Last year’s inaugural Rugby Champs U20 on the Sunshine Coast in Queensland, Australia, saw New Zealand edge out the Junior Boks for the title after finishing the tournament unbeaten, following up a draw with South Africa in the first round with subsequent victories over Argentina and Australia.

Fixtures:

Thursday, 1 May

14h00: New Zealand v Australia
16h10: Junior Boks v Argentina

Tuesday, 6 May

14h00: New Zealand v Argentina
16h10: Junior Boks v Australia

Sunday, 11 May

14h00: Argentina v Australia
16h10: Junior Boks v New Zealand