Three Junior Boks from last year's U20 World Championship squad are among 56 players invited to a trials camp in Cape Town next week.
They are centre JT Jackson, flyhalf Tinus de Beer (both Blue Bulls) and scrumhalf Marco Jansen van Vuren (Golden Lions).
The Junior Boks came third in Italy last year. The 2016 tournament takes place in Manchester, England, in June.
The group will assemble in Cape Town on Tuesday and spend almost a week at a training camp before the squad is trimmed.
The training squad will be based in Newlands during their six-day stay in the Mother City and will have several planning and on-field training sessions before the all-important set of matches next Friday at City Park Stadium in Crawford.
'The announcement of the trial group is the culmination of a lot of hard work behind the scenes,' said coach Dawie Theron. 'Unfortunately, we will not be able to play training matches this year against the Varsity Cup Dream team or Argentina. That has resulted in a change in our familiar approach of the past two years or so. However, we are planning several matches against local club sides and hope to finalise those fixtures shortly.'
Junior Springbok trials squad:
Blue Bulls – Jan-Henning Campher (hooker), Tinus de Beer (flyhalf), Aston Fortuin (lock), Stedman Gans (centre), Denzel Hill (No 8), Jaco Holtzhausen (prop), JT Jackson (centre), Manie Libbok (flyhalf), Andell Loubser (wing), Franco Naude (centre), Divan Rossouw (wing), Hendre Stassen (lock), Eli Snyman (lock), Gavin van den Berg (prop), Franco van den Berg (prop), Luigy van Jaarsveld (No 8).
Free State Cheetahs – De Wet Bezuidenhout (flank), Mosolwa Mafuma (wing), Victor Maruping (flank).
Golden Lions – Le Roux Baard (hooker), Marco Jansen van Vuren (scrumhalf), Rhyno Herbst (lock).
EP Kings – Lusanda Badiyana (flank), Tango Balelike (hooker), Michael Brink (flyhalf), James Hall (scrumhalf), Nicolaas Oosthuizen (prop), Lupumlo Mguca (prop), Junior Pokomela (No 8), Roche van Zyl (prop), Keanu Vers (fullback), Jeremy Ward (centre), Stephanus Nieuwoudt (flank).
Leopards – Benhard Janse van Rensburg (flyhalf).
Sharks – Curwin Bosch (fullback), Morné Joubert (fullback), S’busiso Nkosi (wing), Zweli Siluale (wing).
Western Province – Saud Abrahams (flank), Ruan Brits (hooker), Paul de Wet (scrumhalf), Eduan Keyter (fullback), Daniel Maree (flank), Gary Porter (lock), Duncan Saal (wing), Carlo Sadie (prop), Tiaan Swanepoel (fullback), Ernst van Rhyn (flank), Jaco Willemse (lock), Eduard Zandberg (lock), Jaco Coetzee (No 8), Zane Davids (flank), Ruben de Villiers (lock), Wikus Groenewald (prop), Edwill van der Merwe (wing), Kuyenseka Xaba (flank).
Photo: Roger Sedres/Gallo Images
