Kevin Foote hailed the Junior Springboks’ attacking intent to beat Wales on Tuesday, but flagged defence and ball retention as areas to fix for their knockout clash with England.
The head coach also lauded his troops’ resilience in their final Pool A match of the Junior World Championship to secure a place in the semi-finals.
In Tbilisi, the South Africans were made to work hard by a spirited Welsh side, who made a fast start and led 14-0 after 11 minutes.
Foote’s young men were forced to fight their way back but once they found their rhythm, showed enough quality on attack to pull away for a 52-33 win, after leading 26-14 at the break.
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“We were a little bit passive in the beginning,” he said. “But once we got into the game and built some momentum, I thought we created some really good try-scoring opportunities.
“There was a lot of attacking intent and the players showed good composure to take control of the match.”
The Junior Bok pack also played a key role in laying the platform for victory. “There were a couple of scrum penalties against us, but overall, I thought the pack did really well,” Foote said.
“They worked hard throughout the game, gave us good front-foot ball and helped us get the result over the line.”
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“From a defensive perspective and in terms of ball retention, there are definitely things we need to work on,” he added. “We’ll review the game, look closely at some of the turnovers and make sure we’re sharper going into the semis.
“We’ve achieved our first objective by coming through the pool stages, and now we look ahead to the semi-final. Some of these players have experienced knockout rugby at this tournament before, so we’ll draw on that experience and look forward to the challenge ahead.”
The semi-finals are scheduled for next Monday, both at the Avchala Stadium. New Zealand take on France (4pm), and the Junior Boks’ clash against England will kick off at 6:30pm.
Photo: @SAJuniorRugby/X
The post Junior Boks boss: We must be sharper appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
Kevin Foote hailed the Junior Springboks’ attacking intent to beat Wales on Tuesday, but flagged defence and ball retention as areas to fix for their knockout clash with England.
The post Junior Boks boss: We must be sharper appeared first on SA Rugby magazine. Read More
