Junior Boks raring to go, says star Bosch
JUNIOR Springbok star Curwin Bosch says they are raring to go two days before their Junior World Championship opening match against Six Nations runners-up France in Tbilisi.
The team arrived in Georgia on Saturday and are well settled into their routine as the opening match approaches.
Coach Chean Roux’s team have had a series of field and gym sessions since their arrival‚ and the coach will announce his match 23 to face France today.
“We are feeling great‚” said Bosch‚ who is one of eight players who participated in last year’s tournament in Manchester‚ England.
“We have had a few good training sessions in the last few days and we are looking forward to the game.
“It was a long trip to Tbilisi‚ but we have recovered well and we are settled in‚ so our only focus now is on the first match against France.”
Bosch‚ who was one of the nominees for the World Rugby U20 Championship player of the tournament award last year‚ admitted that as with all national teams worldwide there was pressure on the players.
But the Super Rugby player with the Sharks added they would take each match in their stride. “There is always pressure when you represent your country‚ but the guys are handling it well‚” Bosch said.
“The important thing for us is to focus on our strengths rather than what France has to offer.”
Lock Salmaan Moerat‚ who captained Paarl Boys High and SA Schools last year‚ will continue a family legacy when he takes the field during the tournament.
His father, Nazim Moerat, represented the former Saru team in the 1980s‚ while his great uncle, Moutie Moerat, and his brotherin-law‚ Esa Abrahams‚ founded Vineyards RFC.
“My father played rugby many years ago‚ so this is a big occasion for me and my family,” he said.
“The opportunities we have these days are vastly different to those that my family had‚ so I would like to make the most of this chance to make them proud.
“Our preparation has gone well since the beginning of March‚ and we have all learnt so much as players thanks to the new dimension the coaches have brought to the finer details of the game.
“So it is now our responsibility to implement that which we have learnt in our matches.
“I grew up with rugby being a large part of my life. As a family we spent most of our spare time watching rugby and we often went to support club games in Paarl.
“This was undoubtedly a driving force for me to take my rugby seriously‚ and my family have supported me immensely in this journey.
“They always try to attend my matches and they motivate me to work hard every day,” Moerat said. South Africa’s fixtures:
Tomorrow, 1.30pm: SA v France Sunday, 4pm: SA v Georgia
June 8: 1.30pm: SA vs Argentina