Big changes for Junior Boks lineup to take on England in semifinal

AFTER a dismal showing in their final pool match at the U20 World Championships last Thursday, Junior Springbok coach Chean Roux has made wholesale changes for today’s semifinal against England.

Hosts France thrashed the Junior Boks 46-29 in Narbonne‚ but SA still sneaked into the last four thanks to securing a tryscoring bonus point.

Roux has made six changes to the starting lineup‚ while including three players in the match squad who have not featured at the tournament at all.

Flyhalf David Coetzer‚ flank Phendulani Buthelezi‚ hooker Tiaan van der Merwe and prop Alulutho Tshakweni will have their first starts.

Coetzer and Buthelezi joined the squad in the south of France last week as injury replacements‚ and while Coetzer made his World Rugby U20 Championship debut against France off the bench‚ Buthelezi will play his first match in the tournament.

The loose forward is no stranger to international rugby after featuring in the all of the SA U20 warm-up matches in the lead-up to the international showpiece.

Van der Merwe and Tshakweni‚ who both scored tries in the pool match against France‚ will also start in a new-look front row with tighthead prop Sazi Sandi.

The other change to Roux’s team was at inside centre where Rikus Pretorius returns after recovering from the ankle injury he suffered in the opening match against Georgia.

He will partner with Manuel Rass in the midfield.

The bench will also feature two tournament debutants‚ as prop Leon Lyons – who joined the team on Saturday in place of the injured Nathan McBeth – and scrumhalf Jack Hart‚ have been drafted in among the replacements.

“There was an injury and another recovering from injury‚ while we also opted to bring on fresh legs‚” Roux said.

“We think this is a very good side‚ and we are looking forward to the game.”

Roux expects a massive onslaught from England‚ who finished the pool stages as the top team‚ and said: “England are a very physical and well-coached side.

“Their set pieces are very good and they have two brilliant wingers‚ so we need to counter that.”

Roux’s charges worked hard at training this week to deliver a quality performance‚ and he believed that if they played to their potential‚ they had the goods to advance to the final. Team: 15 Gianni Lombard (Lions)‚ 14 Tyrone Green (Lions)‚ 13 Manuel Rass (Lions)‚ 12 Rikus Pretorius (WP)‚ 11 Wandisile Simelane (Lions)‚ 10 David Coetzer (WP)‚ 9 Zak Burger (Sharks)‚ 8 Muller Uys (WP)‚ 7 PJ Steenkamp (Lions)‚ 6 Phendulani Buthelezi (Sharks)‚ 5 Ruan Nortje (Bulls)‚ 4 Salmaan Moerat (capt, WP)‚ 3 Sazi Sandi (WP)‚ 2 Tiaan van der Merwe (Lions)‚ 1 Alulutho Tshakweni (EP). Substitutes: 16 Schalk Erasmus (WP)‚ 17 Leon Lyons (WP)‚ 18 Asenathi Ntlabakanye (Lions)‚ 19 Ben-Jason Dixon (WP)‚ 20 Dian Schoonees (Lions)‚ 21 Jack Hart (Lions)‚ 22 Lubabalo Dobela (Free State)‚ 23 Sihle Njezula (WP). – TimesLIVE