Couple of Boks would have experienced déjà vu in defeat against the Irish
Four members of the Springbok-squad would’ve had a déjà vu moment in their 8-13 defeat against Ireland in their Pool B clash of the 2023 Rugby World Cup in France.
The quartet of Steven Kitshoff, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Marvin Orie and Handré Pollard would like history to repeat itself as they were part of the Junior Springbok team which lost their pool match against the Irish during the u20 World Championship back in 2012. The team went on to bag the title against New Zealand (22-16) in the final.
The Junior Springboks lost their pool match against Ireland by 19-23. The Irish squad would also go on to achieve many great things and gave us our first impressions of the likes of Tadhg Furlong, Tadhg Beirne, Iain Henderson, Josh van der Flier and Jack Conan, who are all part of the number one ranked Irish team that beat the Springboks over the weekend.
Pollard who was called up to the World Cup squad after the injury to hooker Malcolm Marx was still in matric when he played a pivotal role 11 years ago to help South Africa to their only u20-title to date. Back in 2012 Pollard also received a call-up, although before the tournament, thanks to an injury to Johan Goosen.
Pollard and Marx were also team mates during 2012 as they both represented the SA Schools’ side that was selected after the Craven Week in Port Elizabeth. Other players from the Junior Springbok squad of 2012 who became Springboks are Jan Serfontein, Dillyn Leyds, Travis Ismaiel and Raymond Rhule.
They were also joined by Paul Jordaan and William Small-Smith who were already capped Springbok Sevens players.
Braam Steyn, who now plays for Italy but missed out on the World Cup squad was also in that team, as was Paul Willemse, who is currently racing to recover from an injury in time to take his place in the French team as they look to go all the way at their home tournament.
Oli Kebble was one of the props in that team and is another who would go on to find success on distant shores, earning his first cap for Scotland in 2020, along with Allan Dell, who is also a graduate of the 2012 u20 Springboks group.
The defeat against the Irish back in 2012 in the Danie Craven Stadium in Stellenbosch was the South Africans’ first outing of the tournament. Willemse scored the only try for SA in that match, with Tony Jantjies, the younger brother of Elton Jantjies, scoring the rest of the points off the tee.
South Africa still managed to top their group and progress to the semi-finals, having secured a bonus point more than the Irish by beating England 28-15, while Ireland lost to England by 20-15.
Kyle Sinckler, Luke Cowan-Dickie, Billy Vunipola and Henry Slade were in the English u20 squad that year.
In the semis, South Africa beat Argentina at Newlands by 35-3 with Pollard adding 12 off the boot and Rhule scoring a brace.
Facundo Isa and Pablo Matera were in the Argentinian squad, as was Juan Brex, who later earned his international cap for Italy.
In the final against New Zealand the South Africans fought back for a 22-16 lead, with Pollard starring in front of a crowd of 33 210 spectators to score 14 points and bring the mighty All Blacks’ four-year reign to an end.
Ofa Tu’ungafasi is the only current All Black who represented the u20 side that year and Martin McKenzie, the All Blacks Sevens star and brother of Damian McKenzie was also in that group.
Interestingly, Willemse and Tu’ungafasi both had their tournament cut short after a scuffle led to both teams receiving a red card in the final.
2012 would prove to be a telling year, with many of today’s superstars making their first international impressions at that tournament.
It was also the year that Jacques Nienaber first worked with a 20-year-old, Siya Kolisi, 21-year-old Eben Etzebeth and 25-year-old Duane Vermeulen at the Western Province, winning the Currie Cup that year under coach Allister Coetzee.
The SA Schools group that year was just as star-studded, apart from Pollard, who would continue to play for and eventually captain the u20 squad in 2014 when he was selected as the World Junior Player of the Year, the SA Schools team also featured Ox Nche, Malcolm Marx, Jean-Luc du Preez, Warrick Gelant, Sergeal Petersen and Jesse Kriel who would all go on to represent the Springboks, as well as Pierre Schoeman and Duhan van der Merwe who are both integral parts of the Scottish national team now.
Abongile Nonkontwana, the big lock from St Albans, became the first player to be chosen for the SA Schools team without playing Craven Week in 2012.
That was also the beginning of Marx’s illustrious career at hooker, in 2011 he was selected as a flanker for the Golden Lions Academy team.
Looking at the group of men fighting to protect our nation’s pride on the biggest stage in rugby this year, and thinking back on the journey they have taken to get to this point makes one realize just how much sacrifice has gone into getting to this stage and appreciate the commitment by the players as well as the coaching staff along every step of the way, from picking up the ball for the first time, working through the systems, to playing at the pinnacle of the sport in the global spotlight in the beloved green and gold.
It also reminds us that these players have worked their way back from an early defeat in a major tournament before to come back and take the ultimate prize (just like they did in 2019).
The 2012 South African u20 Rugby World Cup squad: Franco Marais, Mark Pretorius, Jason Thomas, Allan Dell, Oli Kebble, Steven Kitshoff, Maks van Dyk, Ruan Botha, Pieter-Steph du Toit, Marvin Orie, Paul Willemse, Shaun Adendorff, Fabian Booysen, Wiaan Liebenberg, Khaya Majola, Braam Steyn, Abrie Griesel, Vian van der Watt, Tony Jantjies, Dillyn Leyds, Handré Pollard, Patrick Howard, Paul Jordaan, Tshotsho Mbovane, Jan Serfontein, William Small-Smith, Kobus van Wyk, Dean Hammond, Travis Ismaiel, Raymond Rhule, Marais Schmidt.
The 2012 SA Schools team: Pierre Schoeman, Dayan van der Westhuizen, Wilco Louw, Ox Nche, Francois Esterhuyzen, Malcolm Marx, Chad Solomon, Nicolaas Janse van Rensburg, Abongile Nonkontwana, Gideon Koegelenberg, Daniël du Preez, JD Schickerling, Thabo Mabuza, Jean-Luc du Preez, Aidon Davis, Jano Venter, Justin Phillips, Akhona Sihunu, Ryno Eksteen, Handré Pollard, Jurie Linde, Rohan Janse van Rensburg, Sandile Kubeka, Warrick Gelant, Sergeal Petersen, Molapo Matjikinyane, Duhan van der Merwe, Jesse Kriel.
