Two childhood friends from Johannesburg are living their rugby dream tonight as the Junior Springboks chase their first World Rugby U20 Championship final appearance in over a decade.
Siphosethu “Esethu” Mnebelele and Vusi Moyo have come a long way since their early high school days at King Edward VII School (KES), where they first dared to dream of representing South Africa. Tonight in Viadana, Italy, that dream reaches its biggest test yet as the Junior Boks face Argentina in a semi-final that could define their generation.
“We spoke the other day about how we often said to each other how great it would be to, when we are older, maybe achieve national honours for the country,” reflected Mnebelele, whose journey from schoolboy rugby to international honours exemplifies the pathway many young South African players aspire to follow.
A decade-long wait
The stakes couldn’t be higher. South Africa hasn’t reached a Championship final since 2014, and their last triumph dates back to 2012 when future Springbok stars Handré Pollard, Pieter-Steph du Toit, and Steven Kitshoff inspired victory at a packed Newlands in Cape Town.
The current squad has shown they’re ready to end that drought, progressing through a challenging group stage with impressive victories over Australia, defending champions England, and Scotland.
Tonight’s challenge
Argentina presents a formidable obstacle to the Junior Boks’ championship ambitions. The soft-spoken Mnebelele, now a key figure in the team’s leadership group, knows exactly what his side is up against.
“They are really good with their set piece, on attack and defence, they are direct and play with a lot of passion,” he explained. “We have done our homework on them and had a good week of preparation, fixing what went wrong against them in the Rugby Championship.”
The preparation has been thorough, with coach Kevin Foote warning from the start about the quality of their group stage opponents – a challenge that may prove crucial in preparing the team for knockout rugby.
Star performers
The Junior Boks head into tonight’s clash with confidence, boasting the tournament’s leading points scorer in Moyo (34 points) and top try scorer in scrumhalf Haashim Pead (five tries).
The semi-final kicks off at 20h30 South African time and will be broadcast live on SuperSport. The evening’s rugby begins earlier with the first semi-final between New Zealand and France at 18h00.
For Mnebelele, Moyo, and their teammates, tonight represents more than just a rugby match – it’s the culmination of years of dreaming, training, and believing that South African rugby’s next generation can reach the summit of world rugby.
The question now is whether they can take that final step toward championship glory.
