South Africa U18 standout Josh Neill is set to join the Leinster Rugby Academy at the end of the year, as confirmed by academy manager Simon Broughton.
The Ireland-qualified loose forward, currently in matric at Rondebosch Boys’ High School in Cape Town, has been added to Leinster’s Year One academy intake.
Stellar season
Neill is Irish-qualified through his grandparents.
He has enjoyed a stellar 2025 season, captaining Western Province at the U18 Craven Week and earning the Player of the Tournament award.
Neill later represented South Africa U18 in matches against France, Ireland, and England during the recent U18 International Series.
Strong family connection to Ireland
Josh Neill is the younger brother of Jordan Neill, 20, who is already based in Ireland and plays cricket for the Munster Reds and made his senior Ireland ODI debut against the West Indies in May.
Given the strong family connection to Ireland, it was always likely that Josh Neill would attract interest from Irish rugby and it’s believed he has been monitored by the IRFU’s IQ programme for some time.
Neill will be joining fellow South Africans Jacques Nienaber and RG Snyman in the Leinster set-up.
Big blow for South Africa to see a schoolboy star leave the country so young?
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