Three Junior Boks get called up into Springboks camp as South Africa prepares to take on Australia in the Castle Lager Rugby Championship.
South Africa (24 July 2025) – Three rising stars of South African rugby are living the dream! Fresh off lifting the World Rugby U20 Championship trophy, they are now rubbing shoulders with the Springboks.
Bathobele Hlekani, Cheswill Jooste, and Haashim Pead have been invited by Springbok coach Rassie Erasmus to join the senior national side during a two-week conditioning camp in Johannesburg, starting Sunday 27 July. The trio played key roles in the Junior Boks’ 23-15 victory over New Zealand in the final, a result that ended South Africa’s 13-year title drought at the tournament.
“We are tremendously proud of the Junior Springboks for winning the World Rugby U20 Championship and we were thrilled to see the talent coming through the junior ranks, so we opted to invite three of them to join us to expose them to our structures and the standards required at top international level.
“We believe this camp will benefit them significantly, and we are excited to see how they slot in and train with us,” Erasmus said.
Haashim Pead, the dynamic scrum-half who was named Player of the Tournament, has already caught the eye of selectors and has been included in the Lions’ Currie Cup squad. Meanwhile, fellow champion Cheswill Jooste will now don the Vodacom Bulls jersey, further signalling his rise in domestic rugby. Then there is Bathobele Hlekani, who hails from the streets of Zwide. The same township that produced none other than Siya Kolisi, South Africa’s two-time World Cup-winning captain. Could Zwide be producing another great?
Their invitation comes as Erasmus named a 37-man Springbok squad for the opening two Tests of the Castle Lager Rugby Championship against Australia. It includes 24 World Cup winners and five players who debuted earlier this season, proof that the team is balancing legacy with fresh energy.
Sources: SA Rugby
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