Junior Springbok coach Bafana Nhleko on Friday named an exciting 28-man squad for the upcoming international series.

The first leg of the Academy, which kicked off early in April, concluded on Friday, and a reduced squad of 28 players will assemble at the Stellenbosch Academy of Sport on Sunday, 6 June for the second phase of the programme.

This will feature matches between the Junior Springboks, Argentina, Georgia and Uruguay between Friday, 18 June and Saturday, 3 July.

All the players who take the field in the series will make their Junior Springbok debuts following the cancellation of the World Rugby U20 Championships in 2020 and 2021 due to the Covid-19 pandemic.

Several players, however, represented the SA Schools team in the U18 international series in 2019. They are Bobby Alexander (scrumhalf); Tyler Bocks, Zeilinga Strydom, Henco van Wyk (all centres); Cronje; Dylan de Leeuw, Simon Miller (both locks); Blaine Golden, Sibusiso Shongwe, Jan Hendrik Wessels (all props); Jacques Goosen, Andre-Hugo Venter (both hookers); and Siyemukela Ndlovu (flank).

Unfortunately, Mnutngwa Mapantsela (wing), Keketso Morabe (flank), Okuhle Siyeni (prop) were all ruled out of the squad after suffering knee injuries.

The team will begin their U20 international series campaign against Uruguay on Friday, 18 June and will line up against Argentina on Wednesday, 23 June and Georgia on Monday, 28 June.

The teams will receive four log points for a win, two points for a draw, and a bonus point for scoring four tries or more or suffering a defeat by seven less points or less.

The series will culminate in a thrilling closing round with the top-two ranked teams and bottom two sides respectively meeting on Saturday, 3 July.

SA Rugby Academy squad (in alphabetical order):

Bobby Alexander (Western Province, scrumhalf)

Dalvon Blood (Western Province/SA 7s, fullback)

Tyler Bocks (Lions, centre)

George Cronje (Cheetahs, No 8)

Dylan de Leeuw (Western Province, lock)

Izan Esterhuizen (Lions, flank)

Curwin Gertse (Sharks, wing)

Blaine Golden (Sharks, prop)

Jacques Goosen (Sharks, hooker)

Jordan Hendrikse (Lions, flyhalf)

Ethan James (Western Province, centre)

Reinhardt Ludwig (Blue Bulls, lock)

Simon Miller (Western Province, flank)

Mnqobi Mkhize (Sharks, centre)

Sacha Mngomezulu (Western Province, flyhalf)

Canan Moodie (Blue Bulls, centre)

Rynard Mouton (Blue Bulls, flank)

Siyemukela Ndlovu (Lions, flank)

Siyambuka Ningiza (Sharks, flank)

Nolan Pienaar (Blue Bulls, prop)

Raynard Roets (Blue Bulls, lock)

Sibusiso Shongwe (Lions, prop)

Nico Steyn (Lions, scrumhalf)

Zeilinga Strydom (Lions, centre)

Henco van Wyk (Lions, centre)

Andre-Hugo Venter (Western Province, hooker)

Corne Weilbach (Western Province, prop)

Jan Hendrik Wessels (Blue Bulls, prop)

Photo: Wessel Oosthuizen/Gallo Images