Western Province Rugby has signed another talented group of junior players who start their professional rugby journey this year.
Headlined by SA Schools trio of captain and prop Zachary Porthen (Wynberg Boys), hooker Luca Bakkes (Paarl Gim) and centre Bruce Sherwood (Bishops), the group have already started their integration into the Western Province Rugby professional structures.
They will walk the pathway that has been followed by seasoned Springboks such as Steven Kitshoff, Frans Malherbe, Damian Willemse and Salmaan Moerat, as well as the likes of recent Junior Springboks Sacha Feinberg-Mngomezulu, Suleiman Hartzenberg, Connor Evans and Imad Khan, who are part of the DHL Stormers squad already.
Other local homegrown talents in the group include SA Schools A prop Wilbur Loubser (Paul Roos), prop/hooker Tian Vorster (Paarl Boys), flank Thabiso Molekwa (Wynberg Boys) and centre Damian Markus (Stellenberg).
SA Schools A captain and loose forward Camden-Jay Schoeman (Outeniqua), SA Schools centre Joshua Boulle (St Johns) and SA Schools wing Joel Leotlela (St Johns) have also made the move to Cape Town after impressing at school level.
These junior players will form part of the DHL Western Province U20 squad, which starts its SA U20 Cup campaign later this month.
Former Maties coach Norman Jordaan has been appointed DHL Western Province U20 Head Coach and will be assisted by Craig Childs, with further support from the Western Province Rugby professional coaching structure.
They will take charge of a squad that includes the likes of Paul de Villiers, Hennie Sieberhagen and FC Fourie who all featured for DHL Western Province U20 last year.
Western Province Rugby 2023 junior intake: Zachary Porthen (prop – Wynberg Boys), Luca Bakkes (hooker – Paarl Gim), Wilbur Loubser (prop – Paul Roos), Tian Vorster (prop/hooker – Paarl Boys), Andre Goedhals (lock – Oakdale), Moegamat Arendse (lock – Milnerton) Patrick Kitete (utility forward – Outeniqua),
Thabiso Molekwa (flank – Wynberg), Camden-Jay Schoeman – (No.8 – Outeniqua), Ulrich Wahl (utility back – Grey College), Joshua Boulle (centre – St Johns), Bruce Sherwood (centre – Bishops), Damian Markus (centre – Stellenberg), Joel Leotlela (wing – St Johns).
