Cruel blow for Junior Boks star as dreams of being part of the Bok setup for the back-end of their European tour were dashed due to injury.

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GQEBERHA, SOUTH AFRICA - MAY 11: Ball carrier Siphosethu Mnebelele of South Africa during the U20 Rugby Championship match between Junior Springboks and New Zealand at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on May 11, 2025 in Gqeberha, South Africa. (Photo by Richard Huggard/Gallo Images/Getty Images)

A highly-rated Junior Springbok’s dreams of being part of the Bok setup for the back-end of their European tour were dashed due to injury.

Siphosethu Mnebelele was set to become the latest SA U20 player fast-tracked into the Springbok setup, until a cruel knee injury scuppered his plans last week.

According to reports, the 19-year-old hooker had been invited to join Rassie Erasmus’ touring squad in Dublin, but picked up an injury during the SA U19 Academy team’s final tour match in Cork.

Junior Boks coach Kevin Foote wasn’t surprised by the Springbok interest in his star rake

Esethu is an excellent athlete with brilliant fundamental skills,” Foote told reports. “He works extremely hard with his lineout throwing and scrummaging. He has a completion rate of more than 96% with his throws.”

Erasmus has shown a willingness to blood Junior Boks talent, having involved three of Mnebelele’s teammates – Batho Hlekani, Cheswill Jooste and Haashim Pead – in training sessions in June.

The Bok coach wanted to pit them against the senior squad’s heavyweight forwards to gauge the gap between age-grade and Test-level rugby.

Newly crowned World Rugby Player of the Year Malcolm Marx praised the Springboks’ fight in their 24-13 win over Ireland in Dublin on Saturday.

It is the Boks’ first win at the Aviva Stadium since 2012 and keeps them on track for an unbeaten year-end tour.

The world champions close out their 2025 season against Wales at the Millennium Stadium next Saturday.

A bloodied Marx acknowledged that the Boks failed to capitalise on their territorial dominance, particularly in the second half, but credited the squad’s determination to secure the win.