Junior Springboks out to go one better

LAST year when the Junior Boks reached the final of the IRB Junior World Cup, they had a level-headed captain in Handre Pollard. This year the SA under-20 side has Hanro Liebenberg, who is cut from the same cloth in terms of leadership.

The Junior Boks will face England tomorrow in Calvisano, Italy, in the semifinal of the competition.

Liebenberg’s leadership will prove crucial as the side look to make amends for the narrow 21-20 defeat to England in last year’s final in New Zealand.

“England is a mistake from last year that we need to rectify,” said prop Thomas du Toit, part of the side that returned with a silver medal.

“I’m looking forward to facing England again and setting the score right this time.

“We’ve put in a lot of hard work to get to where we are at the moment — changing mindsets about the way we scrum and the ability we have as a forwards pack. I think we can build on that, and it will be very important for the next few games coming up.”

Liebenberg will lead the strong pack from the back of the scrum at No 8, and his role will be of utmost importance.

The teenage Bulls No 8 has the opportunity to follow in the footsteps of his older brother, Wian Liebenberg. The elder sibling was the captain of the Junior Boks side that lifted the trophy in Cape Town in 2012.

The SA under-20 side has had a good run up to the knockout stages, having won all their pool stage matches, beating Italy 33-5, Samoa 40-8 and Australia 46-13.

“The spirit in the camp is very good and we have managed to find a good balance in terms of our preparations. The heat, humidity and travel time between matches meant we had to adjust our activity schedule according to the local conditions,” coach Dawie Theron said ahead of tomorrow’s clash.

“It is summer and the days are much longer over here, so you have to strike a good balance between the activities. That means you always have to be mindful of not keeping them busy for too long periods of time.”

Should Liebenberg and Co advance past the English and reach the final, they will face either New Zealand or France, who contest the other semifinal.

The Junior Boks’ match kicks off at 8.30pm, and the other clash is at 6.30pm.