SuperSport Schools Plus predicts the SA Schools side of 2024
KRUGERSDORP. – This year has probably been the most difficult for us to pick our SA Schools’ side before the Craven Week since we started this practice back in 2009.
This year’s Stadio Craven Week is hosted at Monument in Krugersdorp. This is the first time that Krugersdorp is hosting the prestigious tournament.
The real SA Schools side which will be announced at the conclusion of the tournament will face the SA Schools A-side in Krugersdorp on Saturday, 6 July.
It was especially difficult to pick our flankers, locks as well as wingers. It was however easy to pick our choice for SA Schools’ captain in Riley Norton.
Norton already represented the SA Schools side last year and was influential as a leader for his school side, Paul Roos Gimnasium, which is still unbeaten in 2024.
Norton is picked as a lock for Western Province, but we decided to move him to the side of the scrum for our team. A position which he has played for his school side.
At fullback, we took a calculated risk in picking Cheswill Jooste from Noordheuwel and the Golden Lions. Jooste played at outside centre for the Nories this season but will once again man the back for the Lions. He was probably the best fullback at school level in 2023 but just couldn’t find the same form at outside centre yet.
The battle for the number ten jersey will be one of the highlights of this year’s tournament. Vusi Moyo (King Edward VII, Golden Lions) got our pick with Yaqheen Ahmed (Wynberg Boys’ High, WP) getting our pick. Ruben Pienaar (Blue Bulls), Retagen van Rooi (Western Province XV), Alzeadon Felix (Free State) and Luan Gilliomee (Boland) are all strong contenders.
Probably our most controversial pick is that of Markus Muller (Paarl Gimnasium, Western Province XV) on the bench. Muller is a class act that can easily slot in at inside or outside centre. We predict that Muller could pull off a Jean de Villiers who made the SA Schools side from the Western Province’s second stringers back in 1999.
De Villiers later captained the Springboks. It must be noted that De Villiers returned from an injury in 1999 which played a part in him not making the Western Province select.
Ethan Adams from the Free State will also be a contender to man the midfield for the SA Schools side.
If we had to take SA Rugby’s transformation targets into consideration, we just missed the cut here. We picked 11 players of colour while the target is 12 players of colour in the squad of 23.
SuperSport Schools Plus’s SA Schools side:
15 Cheswill Jooste (Golden Lions), 14 Pretorius Ekeji (Free State), 13 Kurt Coetzee (South Western Districts), 12 Pieter van der Merwe (Free State), 11 Jadrian Afrikaner (Sharks), 10 Vusi Moyo (Golden Lions), 9 Matthew Fick (Sharks), 8 Quintin Potgieter (Western Province), 7 Riley Norton (Paul Roos Gimnasium – captain), 6 Zaide-Leigh Rippenaar (Valke), 5 JD Hattingh (Blue Bulls), 4 Jacques Botha (Monument, Golden Lions), 3 Ulrich van der Merwe (Golden Lions), 2 Siphosethu Mnebelele (Golden Lions), 1 Phiwayinkosi Kubheka (Sharks). Replacements: 16 Liam van Wyk (Free State), 17 Kai Pratt (South Western Districts), 18 Danie Kruger (Free State), 19 Truspe Schoeman (Western Province), 20 Kebotile Maake (Golden Lions), 21 Philip McLaren (Free State), 22 Yaqheen Ahmed (Western Province), 23 Markus Muller (Western Province XV).
Players to watch out for during the Stadio Craven Week:
Fullbacks: Cheswill Jooste (Noordheuwel, Golden Lions), Dylan Miller (Rondebosch Boys’ High, Western Province), Heinz Stockenström (Grey College, Free State), Zekhe Siyaya (Westville Boys’ High, Sharks), David Simon (Rondebosch Boys’ High, Western Province XV), Lorenzo Snyers (Hoërskool Rustenburg, Leopards), Gregan Jansen (Duineveld, Griqualand West), Junade Pasensie (Garsfontein, Blue Bulls).
Right Wings: Pretorius Ekeji (Grey College, Free State), Freek de Kock (Paarl Gimnasium, Western Province), Adriano Jackson (Durban High School, Sharks).
Outside Centres: Kurt Coetzee (Oakdale Landbou, South Western Districts), Riwan van Aswegen (Waterkloof, Blue Bulls), Markus Muller (Paarl Gimnasium, Western Province XV), Sam Badenhorst (Paul Roos Gimnasium, Western Province), Ethan Adams (Grey College, Free State).
Inside Centres: Janco Purchase (Affies, Blue Bulls), Pieter van der Merwe (Grey College, Free State), Kobus Blanckenberg (Paarl Gimnasium, Western Province), Zingce Simka (Durban High School, Sharks), Simon Liversage (Diamantveld, Griqualand West), Johnny dos Santos (HTS Middelburg, Pumas), FJ Drotskie (Ellisras, Limpopo Blue Bulls).
Left Wings: Bennedict George (HTS Drostdy, Boland), Lee-Winn Pretorius (Oakdale Landbou, South Western Districts), Jadrian Afrikaner (Durban High School, Sharks), Vincent Khumalo (Hoërskool Rustenburg, Leopards), Junaide Stuart (Garsfontein, Blue Bulls), Caleb Engelbrecht (Hoërskool Durbanville, Western Province).
Flyhalves: Vusi Moyo (King Edward, Golden Lions), Ruben Pienaar (Affies, Blue Bulls), Retagen van Rooi (Boland Landbou, Western Province XV), Yaqheen Ahmed (Wynberg Boys’ High, Western Province), Luan Gilliomee (Charlie Hofmeyr, Boland), Caleb Friskin (Pearson, Eastern Province), Alzeadon Felix (Grey College, Free State), Matthew Abbey (Hoërskool Middelburg, Pumas).
Scrumhalves: Matthew Fick (St Charles College, Sharks), Lucraine Muggels (Die Brandwag, Eastern Province), Philip McLaren (Grey College, Free State), Tristan van Niekerk (Helpmekaar, Golden Lions), Ellie Meyer (Outeniqua, South Western Districts), Hendré Schoeman (Affies, Blue Bulls), Adeeb Borraine (Western Province).
Eighthmen: Quintin Potgieter (Paarl Gimnasium, Western Province), Kebotile Maake (King Edward VII, Golden Lions), GJ Steenberg (Hoërskool Klerksdorp, Leopards), Gerhard van Aswegen (EG Jansen, Valke), Erick Steyn (Oakdale Landbou, South Western Districts), Hanu Pieterse (Hilton College, Sharks), Khanyiso Stamper (Durban High School, Sharks).
Flankers: Ruben Dames (Paarl Boys’ High, Western Province XV), RJ Barnard (Monument, Golden Lions), Zaide-Leigh Rippenaar (EG Jansen, Valke), Toy Engelbrecht (HTS Middelburg, Pumas), Luann Olivier (Garsfontein, Blue Bulls), Albert Smit (Affies, Blue Bulls), Vuyo Gwiji (Sharks), Joshua Neill (Rondebosch Boys’ High, Western Province), Jamaal Feldman (Monument, Golden Lions), Gareth Maree (South Western Districts).
Locks: Riley Norton (Paul Roos Gimnasium, Western Province), Jacques Botha (Monument, Golden Lions), Truspe Schoeman (Paul Roos Gimnasium, Western Province), AJ Meyer (Grey College, Free State), JD Hattingh (Affies, Blue Bulls), James Schnetler (Garsfontein, Blue Bulls), Jake Jansen (Sharks), JP Lombaard (Helpmekaar, Golden Lions).
Tighthead Props: Ulrich van der Merwe (Helpmekaar, Golden Lions), Duwan Potgieter (EG Jansen, Valke), Danie Kruger (Grey College, Free State), Sean Vermaak (Framesby, Eastern Province), Cecil Parsons (Voortrekker, Griffons), Petrus Coetzee (Robertson, Boland), Luan van der Berg (Garsfontein, Blue Bulls).
Hookers: Siphosethu Mnebelele (King Edward VII, Golden Lions), Liam van Wyk (Grey College, Free State), Danré Pike (EG Jansen, Valke), Almero Keizer (Stellenberg, Western Province), Keenan Myners (Monument, Golden Lions), Junior Kuhn (Wesvalia, Leopards), Mahle Sithole (Sharks).
Loosehead Props: Oliver Reid (Paul Roos Gimnasium, Western Province), Kai Pratt (Oakdale Landbou, South Western Districts), André Poulton (Jeppe High School for Boys, Golden Lions), Ethan van Wyk (Affies, Blue Bulls).
