Lions call up World Rugby U20 Championship star to cap huge week

Haashim Pead has finished a whirlwind week by being named in the Lions’ squad for the upcoming Currie Cup campaign.

The scrum-half, 20, starred once again for the Junior Springboks as they won the World Rugby U20 Championship against New Zealand U20 in Rovigo on Saturday, setting up Gilermo Mentoe’s match-winning try with a perfectly-weighted kick. That capped a campaign where he broke Antoine Dupont’s record for most metres carried by a scrum-half in the pool stages (232 metres) and was the competition’s leading try-scorer (six) before being overtaken by Georgia’s Mikheili Shioshvili on the final day.

Just four days later, Pead was one of three Junior Boks, alongside winger Cheswill Jooste and flanker Bathobele Hlekani, to be invited to train with Rassie Erasmus’ senior squad over the next two weeks as they prepare for the Rugby Championship.

Just hours after his Springboks call, Pead, who is yet to make his senior debut, was named in the Lions squad, who get their Currie Cup campaign underway on Saturday against the Sharks at Emirates Airline Park. It is unknown whether Pead will feature in that match before linking up with the Springboks on July 27 for their two-week conditioning camp in Johannesburg, the home of the Lions.

Fixture

Currie Cup

Golden Lions

46 - 5

Full-time

Sharks XV

All Stats and Data

Lions Currie Cup squad
Forwards: Jaco Visagie (captain), SJ Kotze, Morgan Naude, Heiko Pohlmann, RF Schoeman, Conrad van Vuuren, Sebastian Lombard, Siya Dube, Stian de Bruyn, Franco Marais, Morne Brandon, Marno Grobbelaar, Thando Biyela, Raynard Roets, Darrien Landsberg, Dylan Sjoblom, Johnre Stopforth, Tiaan Wessels, Luca Ribbens, Renzoi du Plessis, Jarod Cairns, WJ Steenkamp, Izan Esterhuizen, Siba Zoma, Morne Venter

Backs: Nico Steyn, Layton Horn, Zian Cilliers, Haashim Pead, Lubabalo Dobela, Sam Francis, Kade Wolhuter, Gianni Lombard, Tapiwa Mafura, Gilermo Mentoe, Rynhardt Jonker, Bingo Ivanisevic, Alzeadon Fleix, Kelly Mpeku, Bronson Mills, Manuel Rass, Rabz Maxwane, Angelo Davids, Likhona Finca, Keagan Smith, Michail Damon