Salmaan Moerat, captain of the DHL Western Province U18 Coca-Cola Craven Week side, will lead the SA Schools team in the U19 International Series in August.
Salmaan Moerat, captain of the DHL Western Province U18 Coca-Cola Craven Week side, will lead the SA Schools team in the U19 International Series in August.
Moerat is one of 13 DHL Western Province U18 players in the SA School squad and follows in the footsteps of Ernst van Rhyn who captained the national side last year.
Enrista Blue Bulls centre Louritz Van der Schyff has been selected to lead the SA Schools A team.
The SA Schools and SA Schools A teams will take on their counterparts from England, Wales, France and Italy from 12 to 20 August in Cape Town and Paarl, with the teams set to battle it out in three rounds of matches.
The squads, which consist of 26 players each and are sponsored by Coca-Cola, were selected by a panel of national and SA Schools selectors following the conclusion of the Under-18 Coca-Cola Craven and Academy Weeks in Durban.
Moerat, who led DHL Western Province to a 27-20 victory against the Bidvest Golden Lions in the final match of the Coca-Cola Craven Week last Saturday, is one of seven players in the SA Schools squad that featured in the tournament last season, while Enrista Blue Bulls fullback Abner van Reenen retains his place in the SA Schools A team.
The other players who were selected for the SA Schools team for the second successive season, or promoted from the SA Schools A team, are centre Manual Rass, flyhalf Damian Willemse, looseforward Khanya Ncusane (all from DHL Western Province), utility forward PJ Steenkamp (Enrista Blue Bulls), centre Wandisile Simelane (Bidvest Golden Lions) and Khwezi Mafu (Eastern Province).
The coaching staff and management teams of the SA Schools and SA Schools A teams, meanwhile, will be named in due course.
The first round of matches in the U19 International Series will be hosted at City Park in Crawford, Cape Town, on Friday 12 August. Then follows the second round of matches, at the fields of the Diocesan College (Bishops) in Rondebosch, on Tuesday 16 August, while the final round of action will take place at the fields of Paarl Boys’ High on Saturday, 20 August.
The two SA Schools squads will assemble at DHL Newlands in Cape Town on Sunday, 7 August and will begin their on-field preparations for the tournament the following day.
SA Schools: Emilio Adonis (Enrista Blue Bulls), Reece Bezuidenhout (DHL Western Province), PJ Botha (Bidvest Golden Lions), Ruan de Swardt (Enrista Blue Bulls), Ben-Jason Dixon (DHL Western Province), Muller du Plessis (DHL Western Province), Richman Gora (Thepa Trading Griffons), Daniel Jooste (DHL Western Province), Rewan Kruger (Bizhub Free State), Gianni Lombard (DHL Western Province), Khwezi Mafu (Eastern Province), Mike Mavovana (DHL Western Province), Nathan McBeth (Bidvest Golden Lions), Salmaan Moerat (captain, DHL Western Province), Khanya Ncusane (DHL Western Province), Johan Neethling (DHL Western Province), Sihle Njezula Eastern Province), JC Pretorius (Pumas), Rikus Pretorius (Bizhub Free State), Manuel Rass (DHL Western Province), Sazi Sandi (Eastern Province CD), Charl Serdyn (DHL Western Province), Wandisile Simelane (Bidvest Golden Lions), PJ Steenkamp (Enrista Blue Bulls), Muller Uys (DHL Western Province), Damian Willemse (DHL Western Province).
SA Schools A: Zinedine Booysen (SWD Eagles), Austin Davids (Enrista Blue Bulls), Lubabalo Dobela (Eastern Province), Cabous Eloff Prop (Enrista Blue Bulls), Schalk Erasmus (Enrista Blue Bulls), Keagan Glade (Bidvest Golden Lions), Tyrone Green (Bidvest Golden Lions), Gugu Nelani (Sharks), Christopher Havenga (Bidvest Golden Lions), Janco van Heyningen (Bizhub Free State), Cameron Hufke (GWK Griquas), Jessie Johnson (DHL Western Province), Athi Magwala (DHL Western Province), Tadendaishe Mujawo (Bidvest Golden Lions), Sanele Nohamba (Sharks), Ayabonga Oliphant (Eastern Province), Ryno Pieterse (Enrista Blue Bulls), Dylan Richardson (Sharks), Dian Schoonees (Bizhub Free State), Mornay Smith (Enrista Blue Bulls), Mark Snyman (Bidvest Golden Lions), Sicelo Tole (Eastern Province), Louritz Van der Schyff (captain, Enrista Blue Bulls), Abner van Reenen (Enrista Blue Bulls), Jaco van Tonder (Bizhub Free State), Juan van der Mescht (Sharks)
U19 International Series fixtures:
Friday, 12 August (City Park Stadium – Crawford, Cape Town):
13h00 – France vs England
14h30 – SA Schools A vs Italy
16h00 – SA Schools vs Wales
Tuesday, 16 August (Bishops, Diocesan College – Rondebosch, Cape Town)
13h00 – Wales vs Italy
14h30 – SA Schools A vs England
16h00 – SA Schools vs France
Saturday, 20 August (Paarl Boys High – Paarl)
13h00 – France vs Italy
14h30 – SA Schools A vs Wales
16h00 – SA Schools vs England