‘Junior Springboks are well prepared for England challenge,’ says coach Foote
· Citizen
The Junior Springboks are pumped up and ready to continue the defence of their U20 Junior World Championship title when they take on their England U20 counterparts in the tournament semifinals at the Avchala Stadium in Tbilisi on Monday night (kick-off 6:30pm).
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Last year the Junior Boks clinched just their second ever Junior World Championship title after beating the U20 All Blacks in the final in Italy, and they are now just one game away from challenging for the trophy again.
Having produced a strong showing in the competition pool phase, the Junior Boks now face their biggest challenge to date, against the in-form England U20s, but coach Kevin Foote believes they are fully ready for the challenge.
“I think we are very well prepped and I think the guys have trained really well. We are expecting another physical battle, we know that England have a good kicking game and that they have also shown some good attacking flair,” said Foote.
“But I think we are ready (for the challenge) and that our pool stage (wins over Uruguay, Georgia and Wales), has set us up really well for it.”
England were drawn in a tough pool, against Ireland, Argentina and USA, and managed to emerge with three wins to make it to the semifinals.
The Junior Boks weren’t in as daunting a group, as they thrashed Uruguay 104-7, before being made to work hard in wins against Georgia (33-5) and Wales (52-33), and despite the lack of a major challenge or close game, Foote says they are ready for a tight encounter.
Close scenarios
“We have trained for those (close) scenarios and the guys are very comfortable in high pressure environments. So the main thing is giving the guys clarity on how we want to play, which they know, and if it gets tight for them to know how to overcome that,” explained Foote.
“I believe the guys are very well prepped for that. I think England has done really well. They were in a tough pool along with Ireland, USA and Argentina, and they’ve shown how good a team they are to beat all of those sides. So we are looking forward to a really good match.”
Foote admitted that the Junior Boks were also grateful for the extra day of rest, between their last pool game against Wales and their semifinal, which has made sure they are well prepared and ready physically and mentally.
“It’s been great. We have a had a six day turnaround (between games) which is a first for me at the Junior World Cup, it is usually five. I think that was to give the teams that travelled from a different city to get here an extra day,” said Foote.
“That recovery day was great for us. We spent some good time together, this team is very close and enjoy each other’s company, and we also took the opportunity to recover guys.
“Of course there will be nerves and the guys are excited. But I think the energy is at a really good place at the moment and with the depth that we have in the squad and the rotation that we have used, everyone is fresh and ready to go.”
In the other semifinal France U20s face New Zealand U20s for a place in the Grand Finale to be played at the same stadium on Saturday.