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The South African
5 days ago
- Sport
- The South African
Junior Springboks: What schools they went to
The Junior Springboks are world champions. Image: SA Rugby website Home » Junior Springboks: What schools they went to The Junior Springboks are world champions. Image: SA Rugby website The Junior Springboks followed in the footsteps of the Springboks and Blitzboks to become world champions. The Junior Springboks further stamped South Africa's authority over world rugby when they beat New Zealand 23-15 to become world champions. Some of the traditional giants of South African schools feature prominently. 15 Gilermo Mentoe (Bishops)14 Cheswill Jooste (Noordheuwel)13 Demitre Erasmus (Garsfontein)12 Albie Bester (Boland Landbou)11 Jaco Williams (Glenwood)10 Vusi Moyo (KES) 9 Haashim Pead (Bishops) 8 Wandile Mlaba (Michaelhouse)7 Bathobele Hlekani (Graeme)6 Xola Nyali (Wynberg)5 JJ Theron (Grey College)4 Riley Norton (captain) (Paul Roos)3 Herman Lubbe (Stellenberg)2 Siphosethu Mnebelele (KES) 1 Simphiwe Ngobese (DHS) 16 Jaundré Schoeman (Noordheuwel)17 Oliver Reid (Paul Roos)18 Jean Erasmus (Grey College)19 Jaco Grobbelaar (Fichardtpark)20 Matt Romao (Drostdy)21 Stephanus Linde (Voortrekker)22 Ceano Everson (Monument) 23 Dominic Malgas (Nico Malan) Traditional SA schools giants Paul Roos and Grey College continue to produce national players for SA rugby. Paul Roos had two players including captain Norton and replacement prop, Reid. Meanwhile, Grey College also produced two of Junior Boks – JJ Theron and replacement Jean Erasmus. Furthermore, KES, Bishops and Noordheuwel all produced two players each in the U20 Championship final. U20 Championship top point-scorer, Muyo and hooker, Mnebelele (both from KES) started the final against New Zealand. Also, Bishops produced talented scrumhalf Paed and dangerous fullback, Mentoe. So, not one of the 23-man squad comes from Affies or Paarl Gimnasium. Finally, Noordheuwel also had a couple of players in the side. Skilful winger Cheswill Jooste and replacement hooker Jaundré Schoeman come from the Krugersdorp High School. Let us know by leaving a comment below or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1. Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X, and Bluesky for the latest news.
TimesLIVE
19-07-2025
- Sport
- TimesLIVE
Junior Boks upbeat ahead of U-20 Championship final against New Zealand
Junior Springbok captain Riley Norton says they will draw from their experience of playing in fierce schoolboy rugby matches during Saturday's World Rugby U-20 Championship final against New Zealand in Rovigo, Italy. Norton said they were prepared by experience playing rugby at school level in South Africa which is a fiercely competitive environment. 'It prepared us very well for a tournament like this,' said Norton, who captained Paul Roos Gymnasium in Stellenbosch last year. 'We are used to big games at school and we have always enjoyed them. Playing in front of huge and passionate crowds back home has definitely helped us handle the pressure.' Vice-captain Haashim Pead, who attended Bishops in Cape Town, shared the same sentiments while adding they are going out there to enjoy themselves and create memories. 'It's great to be part of a game of this magnitude but it doesn't mean we need to change our preparation or approach. We will stick to our routine, trust our processes and enjoy the occasion.'
Washington Post
11-07-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
‘There is a real fear gripping many in our parish communities'
Good morning, Early Birds. $10 million for a bag! Send tips to earlytips@ Thanks for waking up with us. In today's edition … Democrats look downballot with redistricting on the mind … Trump engages with soccer, again … but first … There is a growing trend among Catholic dioceses: Bishops, in the face of sweeping ICE raids nationwide, are standing up to the Trump administration's immigration policies, from allowing parishioners to skip Sunday Mass if attending in person would put their well-being at risk to joining migrants at their immigration hearings.
IOL News
05-07-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
Negri, Vintcent living the Italian dream but haven't forgotten their South African roots as they tackle the Springboks
I caught up with the pair at their Sandton hotel in Johannesburg between training sessions. The likeable pair are roommates, with the 31-year-old Negri — a veteran of 65 Tests — taking 23-year-old Vintcent under his wing. Negri qualified for Italy through his Italian father, and Vintcent has an Italian grandfather. Flanker Sebastian Negri and No 8 Ross Vintcent were schooled at Hilton College in the KZN midlands and Bishops in Cape Town, respectively, and while they could not be prouder to be wearing the blue of the Azzurri, they can't deny their Mzansi roots. Tonight, two members of the Italian team will be forgiven if they have a tear in their eye during the South African national anthem before kick-off against the Springboks at Loftus Versfeld. 'It will be a bit strange hearing the SA anthem because I grew up watching the Boks every Saturday," the baby-faced Vinctent said. 'Wherever I was in the world, I'd watch the Springboks and I would be singing the anthem. 'It will be a bit of a weird feeling,' Vintcent continued. 'I am trying not to think about it too much and am focusing on the rugby, but it will be quite an emotional game for me.' Negri added.'I grew up a massive Bok supporter and still am. Our job is to play for Italy, and I take huge pride in that privilege, but when Italy is not playing, I am a full-on Bok supporter. 'I will have a few goose bumps listening to the SA anthem because that is what we grew up listening to,' Negri added. 'I also owe a great deal to South Africa. That makes it sentimental for me.' Vintcent is originally from Joburg and moved to the Cape when he was in grade 10, where he encountered future Springbok flyhalf Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu. 'Everyone knew Sacha would become a Bok,' he said. 'When I arrived at Bishops, he was the biggest thing at our school. He had the confidence of a future Springbok, but he wasn't arrogant. He did some amazing things at schoolboy level, stuff that was too good for the opposition.' Negri was born in Zimbabwe, and his family suffered the trauma of the government's brutal land reforms. 'It was hectic. I was still quite young. Dad came into the house one day and said, 'Pack a small bag.' We left home and never saw it again. We lost three farms in the space of a day or two,' Negri explained. 'In our time of crisis, our Italian family in Harare helped us massively. That is what makes it special every time I put on an Italy jersey. I know that I am not only representing myself and my close family, but the extended family that was there for us when we needed help. That makes it extra special for me. 'The big thing for my parents was to get us into the best schools, and South Africa was a good option,' Negri said. 'I went to Clifton Prep in Nottingham Road. That is where my passion for rugby got going. I got a sports scholarship to Hilton, and the rugby grew and grew. 'I grew up as a Sharks fan, watching the likes of John Smit, Keegan Daniel and Butch James,' Negri recalls. 'I watched the Sharks every weekend when I wasn't playing sport. My dad and I would be the first in the queue at Kings Park to get tickets.' Interestingly, both Negri and Vintcent were backline players at school level before moving to the forwards. Negri was a fullback and flyhalf until the age of 15. 'I've still got the moves!' Negri laughed while Vintcent rolled his eyes. 'Those Hilton breakfasts and the SA food made me grow, and I went to the forwards.' Vintcent, who plays for the Exeter Chiefs in England, said progress in the gym resulted in a switch to loose forward. 'I played scrumhalf and flyhalf until I got to Bishops, and Sacha was the flyhalf, so taking him out was a bit hard,' Vintcent chuckled. 'So I played for the U16 B at flyhalf. In my matric year, the coach said, 'Vintcent, you have been hitting the gym hard, how about transferring to No 8?' I said, 'Sure, I will give it a go.' 'We played Paarl Gim and narrowly lost. I loved it in the back row and it stuck.' Vintcent studied for a degree in economics at Exeter University. Not long ago, he was delivering pizzas to augment his income. He learned the Italian national anthem by Google Translate, but is now close to fluent in Italian. Negri has been in the Italy set-up since 2016. He was at Hartpury University in England at the time. He played against the Springboks in a fierce pool game at the 2019 World Cup. 'That was very physical!' Negri said. 'I played them recently in Genoa, too. Physically, the Boks are the toughest team in world rugby.' The Italians have had their challenges in the Six Nations but over the last two seasons are on the up under coach Gonzalo Quesada, the former Argentina flyhalf. 'I have been in the system for a long time. I see a bright future for the Italian national team. There is a core of young guys playing very good rugby. They will take the team forward,' Negri said. 'This tour to South Africa is about exposing younger guys to what it is like playing against the best. These Tests are like World Cup games — you are playing the best in the world. These two Tests in Pretoria and Gqeberha are about giving everything we can, and whatever happens, happens. It will be a great experience for everyone. Vintcent adds, 'I love playing as the underdogs. I prefer it when there is no expectation. You have nothing to lose and can express yourself. That makes us dangerous.'
The National
03-07-2025
- Sport
- The National
Gerard Pieterse goes back to the future to help UAE's Rugby World Cup bid
Gerard Pieterse laughs at the idea that he looks a little older than the last time he was here. 'A little bigger, more like,' he says, with a smile. Twelve years later, and around 3kms straight down Abdullah Omran Taryam Street, Pieterse is back on a rugby field in Dubai. It is just along the road from where he started out a pursuit of top tier rugby. That journey has come full circle, and ended up with him becoming a key figure in what the UAE hope will be a continued ascent of the world rankings. Pieterse is one of the finest products of Dubai College (DC), a school of great rugby heritage. Back at the start of 2013, just after ticking the box that all aspiring schoolboy rugby players in the UAE aim for by playing in the Dubai Sevens, he left for pastures new. Age 16, he moved to South Africa to complete his schooling, and try to catch the eye of rugby's professional game. He left Dubai with a growing reputation as a centre with quick feet and clever skills, but not knowing where to measure himself exactly against his age-group peers in South Africa. It was a rapid learning process. 'I had just finished a rowing season,' Pieterse said of his first game for Bishops, his new school side, after leaving DC. 'I weighed 70kgs, and my opposite number weighed 107. You would be very hard pressed to find a centre in Dubai who weighs 107kgs at 17 years old. That was certainly a step up.' Much has changed in the time since. Pieterse certainly fills out the UAE's team issue singlet with a lot more confidence than he would have done when he left. The path to the top in rugby has been a potted one. He embraced the extra physicality of South African schoolboy rugby, and was glad of the grounding he had had in Dubai, with its focus on skills. He made the age-grade programme at Western Province, played in the Junior Curry Cup, as well as Varsity Cup rugby. But badly timed injuries counted against his pursuit of a pro career. Then when Covid hit, he opted to move to the UK to study for a master's degree instead. He now works in the finance industry in central London, and his rugby career has stalled. 'It was challenging,' Pieterse said. 'I was in a position where I was without a contract in South Africa in my last couple of years, and wanted to give it another go. 'I tried to stay around for one more Varsity Cup season and was finding some good form. You obviously don't know what would have happened, but when Covid hit, I decided to pursue a career over in the UK. 'At that point, if something came up with rugby, so be it, but I wasn't as actively pursuing that anymore.' In the recent past, he has focused on sevens rather than XVs, until the call came from the UAE. Apollo Perelini, his former coach in Dubai and the performance manager of the UAE Rugby Federation, asked if Pieterse would consider a comeback for the country where he first learnt the game. He started school at Jebel Ali Primary, before going on to excel at DC. So, despite being born in Pretoria and living in the UK, Pieterse qualifies to play on the basis of having lived for more than 10 years in the UAE. The national team have been the biggest climbers in World Rugby's rankings in the recent past. It has reached the point where they are targeting qualification for the 2027 Rugby World Cup, via the Asia Rugby Championship. Even since he has been back in the UAE, injuries have been a frustration. After a blockbuster start in his debut against Hong Kong, where he made one huge, last-ditch tackle which lifted his side, he soon suffered a hamstring strain. He nursed it through that game, as well as the ensuing win in South Korea, but it limited the influence he was able to have on the attack. He should be fit enough to play the crucial final match against Sri Lanka, and Jacques Benade, the national team coach, is thrilled to be able to call on him. 'He is an outstanding player," Benade said. 'We are lucky to have players like him and Jack [Stapley, another UAE-raised, UK-based back in the national team ]. 'We haven't seen him 100% fit yet because he has been struggling with a hamstring injury. For him to stay on the field, with his defensive [organisation] and his attacking threat, was a great help. 'I can't wait to see him fit and playing rugby. We know what he can bring, and seeing what he can do even when he isn't 100% fit is just outstanding.' Pieterse works for a financial consultancy firm in London, which has, he says, a lot of ex-sportspeople on staff. As such, they were understanding when he asked if he could jet off to aid the UAE's push for a place at the World Cup. 'They understand how important this is for me personally, and also how exciting it is for anyone who gets given this opportunity,' Pieterse said. 'They have been very understanding, letting me work remotely for this period while I am out here. They are as excited about making this opportunity happen for me as I am. I am incredibly grateful about that.' And he is thankful for the shot he has been given at a belated crack at international rugby. The UAE face Sri Lanka in Colombo on Friday needing a win to keep alive their qualification ambitions. 'This whole tournament has felt like play-off rugby from the beginning,' Pieterse said. 'It has been very high stakes. 'We knew that the team that automatically qualifies would have to win three games. That first bump in the road against Hong Kong has meant that every game has been a must-win match. 'Every week of prep we have had going into a weekend fixture feels like play-off rugby. It helps focus the mind. It helps ensure that we train hard. 'It is a massively exciting opportunity. For a lot of these guys who might have had previous rugby ambitions, this is another opportunity that a lot of people would not have expected. 'It is something we are all embracing and enjoying, and looking forward to making the most of.'
