Junior Boks find rhythm

– Junior Springboks assistant coach Louis Koen (above), who also fulfils the role as SA Rugby’s acting High Performance Manager, was pleased that the team started to find their rhythm at the World Rugby Under-20 Championship.

The SA Under-20s bounced back from a 23-23 draw against France in their opening match with a bonus-point 38-14 victory against hosts Georgia on Sunday.

The coaching staff reviewed the match yesterday, while the players had a recovery gym session followed by massages, and Koen was understandably pleased.

“It was a very difficult and hostile environment for the players at the stadium, and we had a few soft moments in the first half. We didn’t really get much territory in the match,” said Koen.

“We are very proud of the team. The last 10 minutes was particularly special, as the team showed great character on defence, and that shows that we are growing as a team and getting to where we would like to be slowly but surely.”

The Junior Springboks will face Argentina in their final pool match on Thursday, and while Koen expected a challenging clash, he was confident that the Junior Boks had the goods to deliver the desired result.

The top-ranked sides in each of the three pools at the conclusion of the round-robin stages and the highest-ranked team outside of the pool winners will advance to the semifinals, which will take place next Tuesday.

“Looking forward it is good to see that some of the small things we have been working on over the last three months are coming together,” said Koen.

The team received a clean bill of health, with only a few bumps and bruises.

However, flanker Zain Davids was to appear before a disciplinary committee following his red card shortly before the final whistle. – Own Correspondent

Tbilisi