South African rugby’s next generation is Europe bound after SA Rugby unveiled a 32-man U19 Academy squad for a three-week tour that will test the country’s brightest rugby prospects against elite age group sides from France, Italy, and Wales.

The squad, selected from standout performers in the Craven Week and provincial academies, will depart in November under the guidance of Junior Springbok coaches Bafana Nhleko and Chean Roux.

Nhleko said the tour would be: “an invaluable step in bridging the gap between schools and professional rugby,” adding that it will expose young players to: “the pace, physicality, and tactical demands of northern hemisphere conditions.” Among those selected are promising backs like Cameron Hufke and Bryce Strydom, as well as forwards Keanu Coetzee and Thabo Maseko, all tipped for future U20 honours.

The squad will face France U19 in Marcoussis, Italy U19 in Parma, and the Welsh Rugby Union Academy in Cardiff, fixtures designed to simulate the intensity of the U20 Rugby Championship and the World Rugby U20 Championship cycles.

SA Rugby’s youth development manager, Herman Masimla, called it a: “strategic investment in succession,” noting that several recent Junior Boks, including Jean Smith and Katlego Letebele, emerged from the same programme. The European leg, he said, will help align player conditioning and systems ahead of the 2026 U20 season.