The last round of this prestigious annual age-group showpiece will be staged at Paarl Gimnasium.<\/p>\n
Saturday\u2019s action gets underway at 11h30 when the SA U18 \u2018A\u2019 side take on France, and this is followed by the clash between Ireland and Georgia at 13h30. The main event will the SA U18s going head-to-head with England at 15h30, looking for their third win of the tournament.<\/p>\n
For the encounter against the English, SA U18 coach Lwazi Zangqa again shuffled the starting combinations. From the pack that convincingly beat Ireland 45-5 on Tuesday at Boland Landbou, only the lock combination of Jayden Joubert and AJ Meyer, as well as No 8 Gert Kemp were retained.<\/p>\n
The front row is all new, with Kai Pratt (loosehead), Altus Rabe (hooker), and JG Badenhorst (tighthead) getting the nod while flankers Chinedu Amadi and Joshua Neill will start.<\/p>\n
The backline also sees numerous changes, with Morne Noble (scrumhalf), Liyema Nela (flyhalf), Jadrian Afrikaner (wing), and Ethan Adams (inside centre) all getting starting opportunities after coming off the bench in the last game.<\/p>\n
Zangqa explained that the plan was to give every player in the squad a chance to gain experience on the international stage: \u201cWe wanted to ensure each player got the opportunity to taste international rugby and to enjoy the occasion.\u201d<\/p>\n
The SA U18 coach further emphasized that they are ready for a physical battle against England, who will be motivated to finish the series on a high note after losing both their matches so far.<\/p>\n
\u201cOur plan is to make sure we’re physically up for the battle,\u201d Zangqa said. \u201cWhile our defence will be important, we are also eager to deliver a good attacking display. This will be the last time this year that our supporters will see the U18s in action, so we want to give them something good to watch.\u201d<\/p>\n
Zangqa added that the SA U18s will need to be focused for the entire match to handle England’s challenge: \u201cEngland will be eager to finish the series on a positive note, so we will have to be ready to meet their challenge and concentrate throughout.\u201d<\/p>\n
After their dominant 57-19 victory over Georgia, the SA U18 \u2018A\u2019 side also show a few rotational changes. Two of these are in the pack \u2013 at loosehead prop and lock \u2013 while the rest are in the backs, with tweaks to the wings, centre, and fullback positions.<\/p>\n
Jeffrey Singo (prop), Diaan Augustyn (lock), and Reinhart Viljoen (fullback) are back in the starting lineup while wings Junaide Pasensie and Ncutu Kepe, have swapped sides. Jeandre Uithaler, one of the team\u2019s key players throughout the tournament, will once again captain the side from the flyhalf position.<\/p>\n
SA U18 \u2018A\u2019 coach Flash Malinga said they are looking forward to taking on the French: \u201cFrance lost their opening-round match to the SA U18s, but they showed in their win over England how good they are.\u201d<\/p>\n
Malinga anticipates another tough game and explained his final team selection: \u201cWe selected what we believe is our best combination for this match. We have strength in the starting combination and on our bench, who we regard as good finishers.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt has been a great tournament with many good experiences and valuable learnings, and we\u2019re looking forward to showcasing and testing our attack, defence, and our set piece against the French.\u201d<\/p>\n