EP Kings trio to attend SA U20 camp
THREE EP Kings players have been invited to assessment camps as preparations for the World Rugby U20 Championship in Georgia kick off this week.
The EP players invited are Yaw Penxe (fullback/wing), Kamva Dilima (lock) and Duan du Plessis (flank).
A total of 86 players, including Curwin Bosch, a nominee for World Rugby U20 Championship Player of the Tournament last year, and Zain Davids, who has been included in the Springbok Sevens squad for the Wellington and Sydney World Sevens Series tournaments, have been invited to attend the assessment camps.
They are being held at the Afrikaanse Hoër Seunskool (yesterday and today) and the Stellenbosch Academy of Sport (tomorrow and Thursday).
The Leopards, Golden Lions and Blue Bulls players will attend the first camp and the Free State, Sharks, EP Kings and Western Province players the second camp.
The other players invited to the camp who participated in last year’s U20 championship in Manchester are utility back Stedman Gans, flyhalf Manie Libbok, scrumhalf Embrose Papier, prop Kwenzo Blose, flyhalf Benhard Janse van Rensburg, loose forward Ernst van Rhyn, locks Cobus Wiese and Ruben de Villiers, and prop Carl Sadie.
“This is the first step in assembling a Junior Springbok squad that will enter the World Rugby U20 Championship with high expectations in Georgia later this year,” SA Rugby Union (Saru) chief executive Jurie Roux said.
“Eleven of these players participated in the tournament last year, while several others have come through the SA Schools and SA Schools A teams in the last two seasons, which serves as evidence that our systems are functioning well.
“Given the talent on offer, I believe we will be able to put together a top-class squad for the tournament in a few months.”
Saru acting high performance manager Louis Koen, who is a former Springbok flyhalf, will facilitate the assessment camps.
Saru is in the process of appointing a Junior Springbok coach.
The SA U20s will face France, Georgia and Argentina in the pool stages of the tournament in Tbilisi, Georgia, on May 31 and June 4-8.