Siphosethu Mnebelele will lead the Junior Springboks in their World Rugby U20 Championship title defence after being named captain shortly before the squad departed for Georgia. The hooker replaces Riley Norton in the role following Norton and Vusi Moyo's elevation to the senior Springbok squad for the Nations Championship.
Mnebelele, who made his senior debut for SA A in their 40–0 victory over Zimbabwe in Gqeberha last Saturday, said he had learned a great deal from both Norton and Moyo during their time together. "The way they carried themselves over the past two years has been a real motivating factor for me," he said. "It is such an honour to be selected as captain of this talented group of players. I believe we have a strong leadership group, and that will be a tremendous help to me as team captain."
The former King Edward's pupil revealed the influence of double World Cup winner Malcolm Marx on his development during his time in the national camp. "He's always been someone I've looked up to," Mnebelele said. "The way he warms up and goes about his business… it's just a huge privilege to be in that environment and see how those guys do things. I do try to mould my game around the way Marx plays. He's got it all – his line-out throwing is good as well as his general game."
The Junior Boks arrived in Tbilisi on Tuesday after travelling from Cape Town via Istanbul and immediately focused on recovery with a gym cycling session. They open their campaign against Uruguay on Saturday, having toured Georgia earlier this year and won both matches against their hosts.