From Komani to Paarl: Queen’s College Players Train Among SA’s Best

Queen’s College Stars Shine at SA Rugby U17 Elite Player Development Camp

Queen’s College Boys’ High School continues to make its mark on South African rugby, proudly represented at the SA Rugby U17 Boys Elite Player Development (EPD) camp by Mr BB Jjuuko, Zeacke Mata, and Ncuthu Kepe. The trio showcased the school’s pride and rugby excellence at the prestigious camp in the Western Cape.

Week-Long High-Performance Training

The camp runs from Saturday, 29 November to Saturday, 6 December, at Hoër Landbouskool Boland near Paarl, bringing together 53 of South Africa’s most promising U17 rugby talents. Among them, 13 players were previously selected for the SA Schools squads earlier this year.

Queen’s College is officially represented by:

• Zeacke Mata – Prop (Border, Queen’s College)

• Ncuthu Kepe – Outside Back (Border, Queen’s College)

SA Schools Talent on Display

Other SA Schools representatives at the camp include:

• SA Schools: Diaan Augustyn, Lwandile Mlaba, Jacobus de Villiers, Nathan Aneke, Thabiso Simelane, Lamla Mgedezi

• SA Schools ‘A’ team: Juvan Burden, Nhlanhla Ndlovu, Mickyle Booise, Ethan van Biljon, Erin Nelson, Lucritia Magau

The camp’s technical programme is led by Lwazi Zangqa, Cobus van Dyk, Flash Malinga, and Clinton van Rensburg, with selected sessions supported by the Junior Springbok coaching team.

Developing Skills On and Off the Field

Herman Masimla, SA Rugby’s Senior Manager for Development, explained:

“The U17 camp continues the functional and positional skills started during the players’ U16 year. It also focuses on implementing the game model used in the SA Schools and SA U18 programmes, while mental conditioning remains a key focus area.”

Full SA Rugby U17 EPD Squad

Props: Zeacke Mata (Border, Queen’s College), Clement Makelele (Sharks, Kearsney College), Matthew Prins (SWD, Oakdale), Makomborero Mandhihza (Lions, St Johns), Aphelele Chamane (Sharks, Michaelhouse), Nicolas Salamousas (Sharks, Michaelhouse), Lehan Barnard (WP, Paul Roos Gymnasium), Stephan Jansen van Rensburg (Limpopo Bulls, Pietersburg)

Hookers: Adrian Smith, Charl Els, Charles Whitehead

Locks: Diaan Augustyn, Lwandile Mlaba, Martin van Niekerk, Juvan Burden, Jean Dreyer, Sambesiwe Ndamase

Loose forwards: Nhlanhla Ndlovu, Queenton Mcube, Mihle Dyakala, Zay-Winn Januarie, Hendrik van Zyl, Zander Muller, Bulelani Cebani, Jacobus de Villiers, Jamie Wimble

Scrumhalves: Liam de Villiers, Mickyle Booise, Luke Doyle, Caleb Bell

Flyhalves: Ethan van Biljon, Anthony Jaydon Viljoen, Travis Pheiffer, Achmat Behardien, Louis Koen

Centres: Dylan Stumke, O’Ryan Kleyn, Ethan Barker, Olwethu Kosani, Nathan Aneke, Phano Letsie, Erin Nelson, Tiaan Basson

Outside backs: Ncuthu Kepe (Border, Queen’s College), Lucritia Magau, Mendriano Abrahams, Thabiso Simelane, Tylo Hess, Rhandzu Mkhabela, Drewyn Baron, Lamla Mgedezi, Lwazi Mbebe, Luxolo Sonkononkono

A Stepping Stone to National Rugby

The U17 EPD camp is a key platform for developing South Africa’s next generation of rugby talent, offering a high-performance environment to strengthen technical skills, tactical awareness, and mental resilience. For Queen’s College, the selection of Zeacke Mata and Ncuthu Kepe, alongside mentor Mr BB Jjuuko, highlights the school’s strong rugby culture and its contribution to the national talent pipeline.

As the camp continues, Queen’s College supporters will follow closely as these young athletes develop the skills and mindset needed to progress into SA Schools, U18 programmes, and potentially the Junior Springboks.