The South African u/18 team will face their age-group counterparts from France and England in Durbanville and Paarl near Cape Town when the annual u/18 International Series kicks off next month.
An invitational Western Province U18 XV team will also be part of the action and will face the visitors from Europe on the final two match days. All three rounds – on 11, 15 and 19 August – will be hosted at school venues.
Stellenberg High School in Cape Town’s northern suburbs and Paarl Boys High School will host the SA u/18s on double-header match days, while the venue for the opening match, between France and England, will be confirmed in due course.
SA Schools head coach Katleho Lynch has been re-appointed as SA u/18 head coach and will again be assisted by James Winstanley, while the Junior Springbok coaches, Bafana Nhleko and Lumumba Currie, will also be involved.
Lynch said the experience of playing against international opposition is very valuable in the development of the players.
“Last year’s series was both testing and fun for the players and we could see the growth they experienced in the few weeks we were together,” said Lynch.
“These matches are also important in the Elite Player Development (EPD) pathway for our age-group players. In this regard, I have to commend Herman Masimla and Nico Serfontein from SA Rugby for the role they play.
“We are yet to finalise the SA U18 squad and will not only consider players who were at the U18 Craven Week in George, but we’ll cast the net a bit wider. Players in the SA U18 Sevens squad for the Commonwealth Youth Games may also come into consideration.”
The SA U18 squad for the series will be named early next month.
U18 International Series:
Friday, 11 August
Venue: To be confirmed
15h00: England U18 vs France U18
Tuesday, 15 August
Venue: Stellenberg HS (Durbanville)
13h00: England U18 vs WP U18 XV
15h00: SA U18 vs France U18
Saturday, 19 August
Venue: Paarl Boys High School (Paarl)
13h00: France U18 vs WP U18 XV
15h00: SA U18 vs England U18