Junior Boks announce Championship team

Junior Springboks coach Dawie Theron has confirmed his starting line-up for the first of two matches against the Argentina Under-20 team in Santa Fe. Photo by Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images

Junior Springboks coach Dawie Theron has confirmed his starting line-up for the first of two matches against the Argentina Under-20 team in Santa Fe. Photo by Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images

Published May 31, 2014

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Johannesburg - EP Kings wing Sergeal Petersen will make his Junior Springbok debut on Monday when South Africa kick off their 2014 IRB Junior World Championship campaign against Scotland at the QBE Stadium in Albany, Auckland, a year after he missed the previous tournament because of injury.

Petersen was on Saturday named in the Junior Springbok starting line-up team to face the Scots in the JWC opener. The tournament starts on Monday and the final is set for June 20 at Eden Park.

Bulls fly half Handré Pollard will captain the Junior Boks in a starting fifteen that features the strong-running André Esterhuizen (Sharks) and Jesse Kriel (Blue Bulls) as centre pairing.

Kriel and EP Kings number eight Aidon Davis are the two vice-captains of the team.

Importantly for the South Africans, Pollard and his two vice-captains all have the benefit of previous JWC experience. Pollard made his debut at the age-grade tournament for the title-winning Junior Boks in 2012 and this is his third JWC tournament in a row.

Kriel, Davids and replacement back Rohan Janse van Rensburg (Blue Bulls) were all part of the Junior Boks squad that finished third at the tournament last year in France.

The Scottish clash is one of three pool matches for the South Africans before the arrival of the crucial knockout stages.

The Junior Boks play their second match on June 6 against New Zealand in the same stadium and then complete their pool fixtures on June 10 against Samoa in Pukekohe.

Monday's match kicks off at 5.35am (SA time) and will be televised live on SuperSport.

The Junior Springboks team: Pierre Schoeman, Malcolm Marx, Wilco Louw, Abongile Nonkontwana, Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg, Jacques Vermeulen, Cyle Brink, Aidon Davis, Zee Mkhabela, Handré Pollard (captain), Sergeal Petersen, André Esterhuizen, Jesse Kriel, Lloyd Greeff, Warrick Gelant.

Replacements: Corniel Els, Dayan van der Westhuizen, Thomas du Toit, JD Schickerling, Jean-Luc du Preez, JP Smith, Jean-Luc Du Plessis, Rohan Janse van Rensburg.

Sapa

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