Baby Boks ring changes
7 Jun 2012
SA U20 head coach Dawie Theron has made 11 changes to his starting line-up for the team’s must-win Junior World Championship clash against Italy on Friday.
Theron has rested many first-choice players ahead of the Baby Boks’ crunch game against England on Thursday, but he still has a strong team to depend on when they face the Italians at the UWC Sports Ground in Bellville. This will, however, deny his preferred XV the time to settle after a poor performance against Ireland last Monday.
Inside centre Jan Serfontein, lock Paul Willemse, loosehead prop Steven Kitshoff and captain Wiaan Liebenberg are the only survivours from the run-on side that faced the Irish in the 23-19 defeat in Stellenbosch.
Tighthead prop Olivier Kebble should boost the Baby Bok front row, after making a big impact in the scrums when he came off the bench in the second half. Lock Ruan Botha joins Lions team-mate Paul Willemse in the second row, with the highly-rated Peter Steph du Toit dropping to the bench.
In the backline, Paarl Gym flyhalf Handre Pollard will make his debut appearance at U20 level. Springbok Sevens speedster William Small-Smith also comes into the midfield.
‘This was always part of our planning, as we only have a three day turnaround between the two matches,’ said Theron. ‘We are keen to redeem ourselves against Italy as we disappointed ourselves and our supporters against the Irish and I am convinced that the new players in the team will provide us with a lot of positive energy.’
Baby Boks – 15 Marais Schmidt, 14 Tshotsho Mbovane, 13 William Small-Smith, 12 Jan Serfontein, 11 Travis Ismaiel, 10 Handrè Pollard, 9 Vian van der Watt, 8 Braam Steyn, 7 Wiaan Liebenberg (c), 6 Khaya Majola, 5 Ruan Botha, 4 Paul Willemse, 3 Oliver Kebble, 2 Jason Thomas, 1 Steven Kitshoff.
Subs: 16 Mark Pretorius, 17 Allan Dell, 18 Pieter Steph du Toit, 19 Fabian Booysen, 20 Abrie Griesel, 21 Tony Jantjies, 22 Pat Howard, 23 Maks van Dyk.
90 Comments
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7 Jun 2012, 13:24 pm
No Jordaan? Why the hell isnt that kid at 13 ?????? Playing him on the wing last week was such a waste
7 Jun 2012, 13:27 pm
Instead of rotation (which I suspect it is), I would pick my starting team and let them get some momentum. After this, there is potentially only 2 games left, so were not worrying about burn out.
I also do not understand why Jordaan’s not there at 13.
7 Jun 2012, 13:28 pm
Have to say the backline seems more balanced. Reckon the combination of Small-Smith and Serfontein will work better in midfield. Interested to see how Pollard goes at this level. Also, Kebble playing tighthead? Has he played there before?
Anyway, good luck boys… You have alot to do now!
7 Jun 2012, 13:33 pm
@Jeez(Jeez)-1: They stuffed him around by playing him on the wing. He was terrible on Monday as he was last year when they played him on the wing.
The midfield has to be either Serfontein with Small-Smith or Serfontein with Jordaan.
7 Jun 2012, 13:33 pm
Strange selections here. Seems like panic buttons.
Dont understand the non-selection of Jordaan at 13 especially considering the tug of war with the Sharks to get him into the side… Yet then select him out of position.
7 Jun 2012, 13:53 pm
An interesting rule has just been implemented at schoolboy rugby level, now we will see which Province is really blessed with schoolboy talent, as of today on wards, any Union that wants to sign a schoolboy must first approach Union that school fall under first, so that the schoolboy’s Union has the first right to offer the boy the contract, now with Kings guaranteed Super Rugby and the money that comes with it, i.e Murdoch’s money and countless number of Corporate sponsorship, Eastern Province will finally benefit and manage to keep their schoolboy protege
7 Jun 2012, 13:54 pm
@XhosaKid(XhosaKid)-6: Does that rule hold for both primary and secondary schools?
7 Jun 2012, 13:58 pm
All three centres have huge potential – Small-Smith, Howard and Sefontein.
Essential to rotate. Howard played with both WSS and Jordaan for SAU18.
He impressed in the Baby Boks’ warm-up matches scoring against Maties, Argentina
and no fewer than 6 tries in two outings against Hamiltons. Plays either 12 or 13 and played wing for SAU18. Remember – that SAU18 side beat England back then …. lets hope for a repeat after Italy.
7 Jun 2012, 14:01 pm
@XhosaKid(XhosaKid)-6: Good news indeed. Talent is all over though but some will have more than others
7 Jun 2012, 14:03 pm
Oon Dawie really being a kabouter now. I’ve start prepping my cv so long if if were him.
7 Jun 2012, 14:07 pm
@pompies2(pompies2)-10: gotta try it again. “Oom Dawie really being a kabouter now. I’d start prepping my cv so long if if was him.”
7 Jun 2012, 14:09 pm
@willievz(willievz)-7: Secondary, as provinces player recruiting activities are only regulated at high school level.
7 Jun 2012, 14:14 pm
@XhosaKid(XhosaKid)-6:
sounds interesting.
is there somewhere i could get more info on this?
7 Jun 2012, 14:18 pm
@XhosaKid(XhosaKid)-12: Good news for Western Province as well. The Bulls bulk buying bargain brokers might be in a little trouble here……It’s a win win – They have always been good at identifying talent (and we have sucked) – Now they will basically be telling our union what players they really like, giving us a ‘talent alert’ and allowing us to at least come up with a counter offer.
7 Jun 2012, 14:18 pm
@XhosaKid(XhosaKid)-12: This effectively means that recruiting will now shift emphasis to the barefoot kids.
Eg. a kid in a primary school in PE can get offered a scholarship to Affies for secondary education, under the BB Union. If EP Rugby wants to gain the services of the PE kid then it has to negotiate terms with the BB Union?
7 Jun 2012, 14:19 pm
12….how does that change anything as a player will still choose to Sign withwhich ever union he prefers? basically, you cannot force a player to sign with his ‘home union’
7 Jun 2012, 14:24 pm
Hmmm
With the amount of news coming from SA school boy rugby with players having false birth certificates etc, has anyone checked the age of the Baby Boks, could be the middle aged Boks for all we know
7 Jun 2012, 14:25 pm
@Brigadier Van Zyl(Brigadier Van Zyl)-16: Hahahahahahaha, Bulls panic sets in already. No, they won’t be able to force a kid – but they will at least be aware of the offer. Did you not read last year’s expose on the Bulls buying all those kids from impoverished areas in the Boland? Totally unregulated, and the Boland Union were not even aware of what was happening and how many players were actually leaving. This will at least regulate that slave trading the Bulls were so intent on marketing as ‘giving a kid a chance’, by offering the parents an amount of money. This way was NOT always in the kids best interests, yet the parents took the money. You see, it’s just of way of keeping the Bulls in check more than anything else I suppose.
7 Jun 2012, 14:26 pm
@Hurricane(Hurricane)-17: Just that damn Natal franchise – doing anything they can to compete.
7 Jun 2012, 14:30 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food(The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food)-19:
Oh i see.
Bloody typical then.
7 Jun 2012, 14:30 pm
@Hurricane(Hurricane)-17: Easy there, fuzzy little man peach. If you carry on like this, I might just insist that they test the gender of your women’s rugby team. And we all know that won’t end well.
7 Jun 2012, 14:32 pm
katman
imagine the reaction if i posted what you just did…
7 Jun 2012, 14:34 pm
@>^..^< katman(katman)-21:
hahaha
So how are the women runners in SA coming along?
Make sure they shave there face twice a day, i hear you lose speed if you dont.
7 Jun 2012, 14:35 pm
@Brigadier Van Zyl(Brigadier Van Zyl)-16:
i think he’s saying the home union has the right or option to make an offer to the player first before the player can sign with the other union (if he so chooses).
also the foreign union would be obligated to inform the home union in advance of its intentions to enter into negotiations with the school player (this would allow the home union a chance to prepare a counter offer/bid i suppose).
7 Jun 2012, 14:41 pm
@houston, we have a problem…(i_love_u_bakkiesbotha)-24: This is honestly just a way of regulating what was exposed early last year I reckon? I know the Bulls are your boys, but it was them under fire along with that headmaster in the Cape who were running the whole shebang.
7 Jun 2012, 14:46 pm
that still does nt change anything as the schoolkid will wait and see all offers before making a decision anyway. that there needed to be a rule implemented because of some unions carelessness in talent identification is reason enough in my mind for that kid not to want to stay with his own union
7 Jun 2012, 14:49 pm
It’s just a rotation, but really poor planning.
He should have started with his strongest team, then only take 7 of his starters out and put them on the bench.
Bring those starters back in the following match and rotate those out that has played 2 in a row and put them on the bench.
Bring the fresh players in from the larger squad.
That way if the team starts tanking, you have your fall back guys ready.
7 Jun 2012, 14:50 pm
Boneheads will always always be attracted to the Bulls as Cheetahs are to Sharks.
7 Jun 2012, 14:51 pm
@kingcorn(kingcorn)-27: Yeah,changing 11 smacks of desperation.
7 Jun 2012, 14:55 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food(The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food)-25:
i dont think it was as bad as you make it out to be. the crusaders outright poaching attempts was much worse imo. besides, boland is mostly overlooked by wp as it is.
http://www.sport24.co.za/Rugby/Super14/Crusaders-target-SA-talent-20100521
7 Jun 2012, 15:01 pm
Oi, Semenya has ruined the mocking of any other nations’ women…forever!
7 Jun 2012, 15:02 pm
besides, if you’re actually giving a child the opportunity of a future he quite likely never would have had if he stayed at with/at his neglectful union.
its a lot different than stealing a child from a most likely opportunity for a future he he quite probably would have had.
very different actions.
7 Jun 2012, 15:03 pm
The Bulls arrange scholarships for good rugbyplayers at top Pretoria schools. Hence, when they go to sign them up, the schools already fall within the Bulls union. Problem solved.
Fact is, you gotta go where most Afrikaans schools are, cause that’s’ where the rugby talent is. And the only province where Afrikaans is the dominant language at schoool level is the Western Cape.
7 Jun 2012, 15:08 pm
@Superbru(Superbru)-29:
no, the italy game should be a freebie but the engalnd game will be a fate decider. seems to be resting a ’1st team’ for that match then?
7 Jun 2012, 15:08 pm
@houston, we have a problem…(i_love_u_bakkiesbotha)-30:
Strange, why would we poach youth from SA?
Going on the last game, NZ should poach youth from Ireland.
Anyway for the record, the Saders seem to always have a lot of outsiders….not actually born in Canterbury, not even in the south Island.
7 Jun 2012, 15:09 pm
@houston, we have a problem…(i_love_u_bakkiesbotha)-30: I remember the Crusaders camp here. It was just after the Bulls recruiting was exposed. The fact was: many of those kids ended up on the Bulls scrap heap after a while, and some of them did not fit at the schools they were placed. The parents of the born and bred Pretoria boys also kicked up a huge stink at the time. At the time the fuss was not made about the actual scouting, but more about the manner in which it was done – and the fact that there was no regulation. Now at least the kids best interests might be protected a bit more.
7 Jun 2012, 15:12 pm
@Fern is not a stud,he is merely no19(Fern)-22:
If this is true, you must have shagged a few men on your trip to NZ then.
7 Jun 2012, 15:14 pm
@houston, we have a problem…(i_love_u_bakkiesbotha)-34:
it would be a tad embarrassing if the baby and senior Poms took you
7 Jun 2012, 15:15 pm
@lost in translation(lost in translation)-31: Add some of those ‘women’ sitting in the stands at Loftus when the camera scans the crowd, and we South Africans have no right at all to point fingers in the femininity argument.
7 Jun 2012, 15:17 pm
@Brigadier Van Zyl(Brigadier Van Zyl)-16:
Brig… think it’s just saying the approaching union has to give the home union a heads-up and opportunity to make a counter offer…
so that there are no surprises when a kid leaves school and the home union is expecting to contract them only to find out the another union contracted them surreptitiously several years previously…
you’re right… it won’t stop kids signing with who they want to… but it should stop any cloak-n-dagger skullduggery…
7 Jun 2012, 15:17 pm
This won’t change anything. People get paid to find loopholes.
7 Jun 2012, 15:23 pm
@Hurricane(Hurricane)-35:
strange but true, hurricane.
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food(The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food)-36:
look, i agree that the childrens best interests should put first and foremost. but this is a world driven by capitalist self-interested greedy principles, so this is not always easy to achieve.
7 Jun 2012, 15:28 pm
@ufo(ufo)-40: AND: most importantly it will afford a 3rd party (hopefully a social worker type person appointed by the home union) an opportunity to assist the families in making a decision. If a talented player wants to play for the Bulls, he must go by all means. BUT: if a kid is being told by his folks to go because they have been offered 50k, and the kid is in fact ‘unprepared, unwilling or ill equipped emotionally’ to go, this type of rule might just counter that nasty side of things (IF adhered to). I don’t care where kids play honestly, if they are talented they need a shot – but the nasty side of all this needs to be stopped.
7 Jun 2012, 15:30 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food(The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food)-43:
very good point…
7 Jun 2012, 15:31 pm
@The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food(The Sharks rugby pedigree is packaged as dog food)-39: Its a shame really. I was in the States and Europe for a couple of years and came to realize we have, per volume, the most beautiful women in the world. Now we can’t even run off a quick couple of insults towards the beastly English lasses without heavy counter-attack.
7 Jun 2012, 15:32 pm
@willievz(willievz)-15: Well, if the BB are prepared to give a 11 year old a contract, I would just like to know how big is their gambling budget
7 Jun 2012, 15:33 pm
@houston, we have a problem…(i_love_u_bakkiesbotha)-13: and there will be no recruiting allowed at the Craven Week, recruting must be done at the other festivals like KES, Kearsney, Cape Schools Week etc etc
7 Jun 2012, 15:35 pm
@Tacitus(Deucalion)-33: The **** you talk sometimes.
7 Jun 2012, 15:35 pm
http://www.sport24.co.za/Rugby/SARU-puts-foot-down-20120607
7 Jun 2012, 15:36 pm
Kitshoff was useless , Kebble much better than the red Strompie hype
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