The 2025 U20 Rugby Championship gets underway in Gqeberha on April 27, with Rugby365 tipping the Junior Boks to edge Argentina by six points in their opener. New Zealand, the defending champions, are favoured by 10 over Australia in the tournament's first match. The three-round competition — with matchdays on April 27, May 3 and May 9 — feeds directly into the Junior World Championship in Georgia later in the year.
The piece is largely a team sheet and predictions roundup, but the detail worth noting is the Junior Boks' starting XV: Yaqeen Ahmed at 10, Hendré Schoeman at 9, and Riley Norton captaining from lock. Siya Kolisi presented the matchday jerseys to the squad on the eve of the tournament — a gesture Norton acknowledged given Kolisi had played a Test match just two days prior.