SARU's next U16 intake

On Friday, 24 August 2012, SARU announced the next intake of Under-16 High Performance players when it named a group of 53 players for the camp in September in the Western Cape. This large group of Under-16 players was identified by the SARU National and SA School Selectors during the recent Youth Weeks programme.

Powerful centre Jan Serfontein, a 2012 Junior World Championship winner with the SA Under-20 team and the current IRB Junior Player of the Year, this year became one the first players to graduate from the SARU Under-16 High Performance programme to the SA Under-20 side.

Fellow Blue Bulls and SA Under-20 team mate Marvin Orie (lock) is another product of this programme and followed the same pathway as Serfontein.

Another successful example of the programme is Handré Pollard, the SA Under-20 Junior World Championship winning flyhalf, who became the first schoolboy to represent SA Under-20.

Furthermore, Pollard also starred for the SA Schools in their recent 3-0 series win over the Under-18 teams of France, Wales and England. He also captained the SA Schools team in their last encounter against the English youngsters at the University of the Western Cape.

For the match against France Under-18, no fewer than 17 of the SA Schools match 23 attended previous Under-16 High Performance camps that are arranged by SARU annually during the September holidays.

Apart from Pollard, other schoolboy stars who have benefitted from this programme are SA Schools representatives Pierre Schoeman (captain and prop), identical twins Jean-Luc du Preez and Daniel du Preez (KwaZulu Natal), the outstanding centre-pairing of Kubeka Sandile and Rohan Janse van Rensburg as well as right wing Sergeal Petersen of Grey PE. Petersen was also the standout wing during the 2012 Under-18 Craven Week and a stalwart for the SA Schools in their recent junior internationals.

This year the next crop of promising schoolboy players will attend a training camp from 30 September to 7 October at the Paarl Gymnasium High School, where they will receive instructions from a range of nutritional, conditioning, coaching and mental skills experts.

Some of the experts who attended in the past were Allister Coetzee (Western Province coach), Henning Gericke (former Mental Skills coach of the Springboks), Dr Wayne Viljoen and Clint Readhead (project leaders of the BokSmart injury prevention programme) and Shelly Meltzer (well-known Cape Town nutritionists).

SARU sees the programme as one of the key pillars in the development strategy to produce world class junior players for South Africa.

Fourteen boys from a squad of 23 who have attended one or both of the 2009 and 2010 High Performance camps were selected for the 2011 SA Schools squad. Furthermore, 25 players out of a group of 50 young boys who were part of one or both of the 2010 and 2010 JHP camps intakes also gained selection to the 2012 SA Schools High Performance Squad.

The following players will attend the SARU Under-16 High Performance camp in September:

Fullbacks: Petrus van Wyk (EG Jansen, Valke), Tiaan Swanepoel (Stellenberg, Western Province), Kennett Sinclair (Helpmekaar, Golden Lions)

Wings: Llewellyn Hein (HTS Louis Botha, Free State), Tshepo Thulo (Jeppe, Golden Lions), André Manuel (Bergrivier, Boland), Kathlego Tsotetsi (St Benedict's, Golden Lions), Justin Bhana (Florida, Golden Lions), Siyabonga Nkosi (Pumas)

Centres: Julian Jordaan (Grey College, Free State), Ian Truter (HTS Witbank, Pumas), Morné Joubert (Glenwood, KwaZulu Natal), Barend Smit (HTS Middelburg, Pumas), Edrich Venter (Paul Roos Gymnasium, Western Province), Michael Andrade (Staatspresident Swart, Free State)

Flyhalves: Paul de Lange (Sentraal, Free State), Danrich Visagie (Boland Landbou, Western Province), Lohan Bennett (HTS Middelburg , Pumas), Fabio Afrika (Hopefield, Boland)

Scrumhalves: Dale Hendricks (Affies, Blou Bulls), Kwazi Khanyile (Glenwood, KwaZulu Natal), Ralton October (Florida, Golden Lions), Jaywinn Juries (Hentie Cilliers, Griffons)

Eighthmen: Luigi van Jaarsveld (Marlow, Eastern Province), Alexander Jonker (Grey College, Free State), Denzil Hill (Jeppe, Golden Lions)

Flanks: Jacques Oosthuizen (Paul Roos Gymnasium, Western Province), Jason Steyn (Selborne, Border), Nyasha Tarusenga (St Benedict's, Golden Lions), Peter John Toerien (Tygerberg, Western Province), Lamond Bouwer (Grey College, Free State), Kurt Webster (DHS, KwaZulu Natal), Pieter Gouws (Oakdale, South Western Districts)

Locks: Devon Henson (St John's, Golden Lions), Aston Fortuin (Queen's, Border), Eduard Zandberg (Outeniqua, South Western Districts), Rhyno Herbst (Monument, Golden Lions), Jaco Willemse (Paarl Gymnasium, Western Province), Stefanus Wessels (Sentraal, Free State)

Props: Gavin van der Berg (Paarl Gymnasium, Western Province), Reuben Terblanche (Grey College, Free State), Cauhen Mashaba (Pumas), Kabelo Matloung (Drie Riviere, Valke), Ngoni Chidoma (Uplands, Pumas), Kaden Prince (Die Brandwag, Eastern Province), Siphe Mngadi (Glenwood, KwaZulu Natal)

Hookers: Rudolf Britz (Paarl Boys' High, Western Province), Adrian Snyman (Klerksdorp, Leopards), Mitch Mametsa (Ben Vorster, Limpopo), Brendon Smith (Centurion, Blue Bulls)

From SARU