Sharks flyhalf Benhard Janse van Rensburg has been included in the Junior Springboks’ starting line-up to face the Griffons in Welkom on Friday.

It is their first warm-up match in the build-up to the World Rugby U20 Championship.

Along with Janse van Rensburg, who is one of two players in the match-day squad who were also part of the SA U20 squad last year, Junior Boks coach Chean Roux also included six 2016 SA Schools players – Salmaan Moerat (who captained the SA Schools last season), Gianni Lombard, Daniel Jooste, Manuel Rass, Rewan Kruger and Muller Uys.

With a handful of players in contention for selection for the 28-man squad to travel to Georgia on duty at their Super Rugby franchises, the Blitzboks and Varsity Cup teams, and others nursing injuries, Roux will use this opportunity to give the players in camp a chance to showcase their skills.

Friday's match will kick off at 15:00 at the HT Pelatona Projects Stadium.

The Junior Boks will face the Griquas and the Free State Cheetahs on 5 April and 8 April respectively in their next two warm-up matches.

They will have their third training camp in Stellenbosch from 18 April to 12 May, where they will play a further two warm-up matches against the Varsity Cup Dream Team on Tuesday, 25 April, and Western Province on Tuesday, 9 May respectively. 

The SA U20s will face France, Georgia and Argentina in the pool stage of the World Rugby U20 Championship in Tbilisi, Georgia, on 31 May, 4 June and 8 June respectively. 

Junior Springboks – 15 Gianni Lombard, 14 Mfundo Ndhlovu, 13 Manuel Rass, 12 Wayne van der Bank, 11 Ilunga Mukendi, 10 Benhard Janse van Rensburg, 9 Francois de Villiers, 8 Hacjivah Dayimani, 7 Hendre Stassen, 6 Nama Xaba, 5 Salmaan Moerat, 4 Ewan Coetzee, 3 Lee-Marvin Mazibuko, 2 Daniel Jooste, 1 Boan Venter.
Subs: 16 Johan Grobbelaar, 17 Gerhard Steenekamp, 18 Carlű Sadie, 19 Muller Uys, 20 Marnus van der Merwe, 21 Rewan Kruger, 22 Jean-Luc Cilliers, 23 Cornel Smit.

Photo: Steve Haag/Gallo Images