Top U18 players assemble for High Performance camp in Stellenbosch

Mar 9 • General News, School, South Africa U18 • 8188 Views • Comments Off on Top U18 players assemble for High Performance camp in Stellenbosch

Fifty Under-18 players within SA Rugby’s Elite Player Development (EPD) system will gather in Stellenbosch for a four-day training camp from 18 to 21 March where the focus will be on grooming them to advance to the SA Schools and Junior Springbok teams in future.

The camp will feature Under-17 and Under-18 players, many of whom attended the Under-16 and Under-17 camps in October last year, and have been in SA Rugby’s High Performance structures since Under-16 level.

Apart from offering members of the Rugby Department an opportunity to work with the players, it also serves as a vital platform to ensure continuity from school level to the junior national structures.

SA Rugby’s EPD 2 Manager, Herman Masimla, will manage the camp while SA Rugby’s High Performance Manager Louis Koen will steer the coaching. The SA Schools selectors will also attend the camp.

“The camp is the culmination of years of hard work with the players behind the scenes by SA Rugby’s EPD managers,” said SA Rugby CEO Jurie Roux.

“Their respective talent identification units, which include managers, coaches and scouts from all 14 provincial unions, have identified, assessed, trained and monitored these players for the past three years.

“The camp plays a vital role within our rugby pathway to prepare these players to make the step up to the SA Schools and Junior Springbok teams in future, and hopefully they will follow in the footsteps of the likes of Damian Willemse, Salmaan Moerat and Handre Pollard in the coming years.”

The players will participate in a series of training sessions over the four days, with the main focus areas being skills, attack, defence and kicking, while there will also be split sessions with the forwards and backs.

SA Rugby U18 Elite Player Development camp squad (in alphabetical order):

Player	School	Position
Jubaren Adriaan	Goudveld Secondary School	Flanker
Jacobus Agenbag	Grey College	Prop
Adriaan Alberts	Paarl Boys	Lock
Philip Apea-Adu	Louis Trichardt	Flanker
Diego Appollis	Garsfontein	Centre
Ross Braude	Grey College	Scrumhalf
Roubert Bester	Paarl Boys	Prop
Morne Brandon	Monument	Hooker
Jurich Claasens	Garsfontein	Scrumhalf
Dylan de Leeuw	Stellenberg	Lock
Sphekahle Dube	Maritzburg College	Prop
Dewald Donald	Affies	Prop
Izak Esterhuizen	Monument	No 8
Keane Galant	HTS Drostdy	Fullback
Christie Grobbelaar	HTS Drostdy	Centre
Celimpilo Gumede	DHS	Flanker
Noegh Hayward	Paarl Boys	Centre
Keno Hendriks	Oakdale	Hooker
Jaden Hendrikse	Glenwood	Scrumhalf
Lohan Horn	Paarl Boys	Flanker
Hanru Jacobs	Paarl Roos	Prop
Stravino Jacobs	Paarl Gymnasium	Winger
Roann Jansen	HTS Drostdy	Winger
Rynhardt Jonker	Glenwood	Centre
Dawid Kellerman	Paarl Gymnasium	Centre
Jean-Jacques Kotze	Paul Roos	Hooker
Richard Kriel	Grey College	Winger
Stephan le Roux	Monument	Lock
Mntungwa Mapantsela	Selborne College	Centre
Jacques Marthinus	Daniëlskuil Hoërskool	Fullback
Bame Malesu	St. Andrew’s College	Prop
Marcelle Mombers	Menlopark	Flanker
Keketso Morabe	Welkom Gymnasium	No 8
Banele Mthenjane	Nelspruit	Prop
Lethabo Mtsheni	Magalies	Lock
Lunga Ncube	Glenwood	Lock
Vernon Paulo	Oakdale	Flanker
Seita Phatudi	Klerksdorp	Flyhalf
Christiaan Pretorius	Paul Roos	Winger
Dylan Pretorius	Glenwood	Flyhalf
Regard Roets	Affies	Flyhalf
Evan Roos	Paarl Boys High	No 8
Franco Schutte	Monument	Flanker
Johannes Slabbert	Westville Boys High	Lock
Reagan van der Westhuizen	Paul Roos	Prop
Emile Van Heerden	Paarl Boys	Lock
Wyclef Vlitoor	Grey College	Centre
Allister Williams	Paarl Boys	Hooker
De Wet Wolhuter	Paarl Boys	Prop
Kade Wolhuter	Paul Roos	Flyhalf