Cape Town - Fifty Under-18 players within SA Rugby’s Elite Player Development (EPD) system will gather in Stellenbosch for a four-day training camp from March 18 to 21 where the focus will be on grooming them to advance to the SA Schools and Junior Springbok teams in future.
 
The camp will feature Under-17 and Under-18 players, many of whom attended the Under-16 and Under-17 camps in October last year, and have been in SA Rugby’s high performance structures since Under-16 level.
 
Apart from offering members of the rugby department an opportunity to work with the players, it also serves as a vital platform to ensure continuity from school level to the junior national structures.
 
SA Rugby’s EPD 2 manager, Herman Masimla, will manage the camp while SA Rugby’s high performance manager Louis Koen will steer the coaching. The SA Schools selectors will also attend the camp.
 
“The camp is the culmination of years of hard work with the players behind the scenes by SA Rugby’s EPD managers,” said SA Rugby CEO Jurie Roux.
 
“Their respective talent identification units, which include managers, coaches and scouts from all 14 provincial unions, have identified, assessed, trained and monitored these players for the past three years.
 
“The camp plays a vital role within our rugby pathway to prepare these players to make the step up to the SA Schools and Junior Springbok teams in future, and hopefully they will follow in the footsteps of the likes of Damian Willemse, Salmaan Moerat and Handre Pollard in the coming years.”
 
The players will participate in a series of training sessions over the four days, with the main focus areas being skills, attack, defence and kicking, while there will also be split sessions with the forwards and backs.

SA Rugby U18 Elite Player Development camp squad (in alphabetical order - player, school, position):

Jubaren Adriaan - Goudveld Secondary School - Flanker
Jacobus Agenbag - Grey College - Prop
Adriaan Alberts - Paarl Boys - Lock
Philip Apea-Adu - Louis Trichardt - Flanker
Diego Appollis - Garsfontein - Centre
Ross Braude - Grey College - Scrumhalf
Roubert Bester - Paarl Boys - Prop
Morne Brandon - Monument - Hooker
Jurich Claasens - Garsfontein - Scrumhalf
Dylan de Leeuw - Stellenberg - Lock
Sphekahle Dube - Maritzburg College - Prop
Dewald Donald - Affies - Prop
Izak Esterhuizen - Monument - No 8
Keane Galant - HTS Drostdy - Fullback
Christie Grobbelaar - HTS Drostdy - Centre
Celimpilo Gumede - DHS - Flanker
Noegh Hayward - Paarl Boys - Centre
Keno Hendriks - Oakdale - Hooker
Jaden Hendrikse - Glenwood - Scrumhalf
Lohan Horn - Paarl Boys - Flanker
Hanru Jacobs - Paarl Roos - Prop
Stravino Jacobs - Paarl Gymnasium - Winger
Roann Jansen - HTS Drostdy - Winger
Rynhardt Jonker - Glenwood - Centre
Dawid Kellerman - Paarl Gymnasium - Centre
Jean-Jacques Kotze - Paul Roos - Hooker
Richard Kriel - Grey College - Winger
Stephan le Roux - Monument - Lock
Mntungwa Mapantsela - Selborne College -Centre
Jacques Marthinus - Daniëlskuil Hoërskool - Fullback
Bame Malesu - St. Andrew’s College - Prop
Marcelle Mombers - Menlopark - Flanker
Keketso Morabe - Welkom Gymnasium - No 8
Banele Mthenjane - Nelspruit - Prop
Lethabo Mtsheni - Magalies - Lock
Lunga Ncube - Glenwood - Lock
Vernon Paulo - Oakdale - Flanker
Seita Phatudi - Klerksdorp - Flyhalf
Christiaan Pretorius - Paul Roos - Winger
Dylan Pretorius - Glenwood - Flyhalf
Regard Roets - Affies - Flyhalf
Evan Roos - Paarl Boys High - No 8
Franco Schutte - Monument - Flanker
Johannes Slabbert - Westville Boys High - Lock
Reagan van der Westhuizen - Paul Roos - Prop
Emile Van Heerden - Paarl Boys - Lock
Wyclef Vlitoor - Grey College - Centre
Allister Williams - Paarl Boys - Hooker
De Wet Wolhuter - Paarl Boys - Prop
Kade Wolhuter - Paul Roos - Flyhalf