The South African Rugby Union has named a squad of 30 players for the SA Under -20 tour to South America from 16 February - 1 March 2009.
The three-match tour includes two matches against Argentina and also a clash against Uruguay. According to SA U20 coach Eric Sauls, the tour will serve as a final trial and training camp before the selection of the official team that will represent South Africa at the IRB World Junior Championship later this year in Japan.
Sauls added that players who perform well during the FNB Varsity Cup, the Vodacom Cup and Vodacom Super 14 competitions will also be considered for final selection. The touring squad was selected after the recent trials (18 - 25 January) at the High Performance Centre in Pretoria. The following players and management will assemble on Monday, 16 February in Cape Town:
Vodacom Blue Bulls
Clayton Blommetjies, Zain Botha, Yondela Stampu, Omphile Seabela, Tendayi Chikukwa, Marnus Schoeman, Cornell Hess, Andries Ferreira, Mlungisi Bali, Pieter Rossouw de Klerk, Morne Mallet Sampie Mastriet
Vodacom Free State
Josias Ebersohn, Lionel Cronje, Christoffel Phillip van der Walt, Pieter Labuschagne
Xerox Golden Lions
Riaan Arends, Elton Jantjies, Rudy Paige, David Bulbring, Caylib Oosthuizen
KwaZulu-Natal
Faizel Gerald de Bruin, Ross Cronje, Julian Redelinghuys, Kyle Cooper, Dale Chadwick
Vodacom Western Province
Nicolaas Hanekom, Johann Sadie, Johannes Engelbrecht, Yaasier Hartzenberg
Management:
Eric Sauls: Head Coach (Blue Bulls)
Deon Davids: Assistant Coach (Boland)
Nico Serfontein: Assistant Coach (Blue Bulls)
Willem Oliphant: Team Manager (Eastern Province)
Tim Dlulane: Logistics Manager (Blue Bulls)
Elliot Mntunwekhaya Fana: Technical Assistant (Border)
Dr Pierre Vivers: Team Doctor (SARU)
Matime Diale: Physiotherapist (SARU)
Wayne Hector: Physiotherapist (Western Province)
