The national selectors have confirmed the Junior Springbok match-23 to face a strong Varsity Cup Dream Team in Stellenbosch on Tuesday evening. The match will kick-off at 18h30 at the Danie Craven Stadium and will be televised live on SuperSport 1.
Photo by Michael Sheehan / Gallo Images
20 year old Cyril-John Velleman is the sole EP Kings player to be selected to play in the junior Springbok team.
CJ Velleman was the captain for Grey High School at various youth levels, including the first team in 2012 and 2013.
Velleman came up through the Eastern Province youth system; he captained their Under-16 side at the 2011 Grant Khomo Week and played for their Under-18 side at the 2012 and 2013 Craven Week tournaments, also captaining Eastern Province at the latter tournament.
Velleman was included in the Eastern Province Kings senior squad for the 2014 Vodacom Cup and made his first class debut on 15 March 2014 in their 60–6 victory over rivals Border Bulldogs in Grahamstown. A substitute appearance followed in their match against Western Province, as well as one more start against a Free State XV in Cradock.
In March 2015, Velleman was named in an extended South Africa Under-20 training group as part of their preparation for the 2015 World Rugby Under 20 Championship
Four players who represented the Junior Springboks at the 2014 Junior World Championship in New Zealand - Warrick Gelant (fullback), Dan du Preez (flank), Abongile Nonkontwana (lock) and Joseph Dweba (hooker) – will again line up for the Junior Boks.
The historic clash, which marks the first of its kind between the sides, is an important part of the Junior Boks’ preparation for the newly named World Rugby Under-20 Championship which will be hosted in Italy in June.
“This match is exactly what the team needs at this stage,” said Junior Springbok coach Dawie Theron. “Although we started a while back with our training camp in Stellenbosch, we only had the full training squad together for a short while as some of the players had Varsity Cup and provincial commitments.”
Theron expected a tough test on Tuesday and said: “We had a good training session on Thursday morning against the WP Rugby Institute and it was great to test the guys in match like conditions. The Varsity Cup Dream Team, however, is very strong and they will no doubt give us a good workout. The Dream Team consists of the best players of the Varsity Cup and they also have several players who have played for the Junior Springboks in the past, so they will be familiar with our structures.”
The Junior Springboks to face the Varsity Cup Dream Team on Tuesday in Stellenbosch:
15. Warrick Gelant (Vodacom Blue Bulls)
14. Kanyo Ngcukana (DHL Western Province)
13. JT Jackson (Vodacom Blue Bulls)
12. Daniel du Plessis (DHL Western Province)
11. Leolin Zas (DHL Western Province)
10. Ernst Stapelberg (DHL Western Province)
9. Ivan van Zyl (Vodacom Blue Bulls)
8. Hanro Liebenberg (Vodacom Blue Bulls)
7. Dan du Preez (Cell C Sharks)
6. CJ Velleman (EP Kings)
5. RG Snyman ((Vodacom Blue Bulls)
4. Abongile Nonkontwana (Vodacom Blue Bulls)
3. Ruan Kramer (Toyota Free State Cheetahs)
2. Joseph Dweba (Toyota Free State Cheetahs)
1. Ox Nche (Toyota Free State Cheetahs)
Replacements:
16. Mzamo Majola (Cell C Sharks)
17. Jan van der Merwe (Vodacom Blue Bulls)
18. Frans van Wyk (DHL Western Province)
19. Jason Jenkins (Vodacom Blue Bulls)
20. Jean-Luc du Preez (Cell C Sharks)
21. Marco Janse van Vuuren (Xerox Golden Lions)
22. Brandon Thomson (DHL Western Province)
23. Grant Hermanus (DHL Western Province)
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