CAPE TOWN – While the Junior Boks aced their first test of the World Rugby Under-20 Championship in Argentina against Scotland on Tuesday, things won’t get easier.
The Scots’ strong set piece and tight play were expected, and the South Africans can feel proud of the way they worked the shoving battle. But if there’s one work-on that stood out in Rosario in their opener, it’s their line-out.
Scotland used theirs as a weapon throughout the fixture, but Chean Roux’s team did enough to bag a 43-19 win.
The Junior Boks next meet Georgia on Saturday (3.30pm) and New Zealand next week (Wednesday, 8.30pm).
%%%twitter https://twitter.com/JuniorBoks?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@JuniorBokscaptain Phendulani Buthelezi honestly dissects his sides performance after a 43-19 win over Scotland #WorldRugbyU20s pic.twitter.com/RNpQiFvSwS
— World Rugby (@WorldRugby)
Roux praised his team’s attitude and character.
“It is great to start the competition with a bonus-point win,” he said.
“We knew it was going to be tough in the beginning, but our game plan was to chip away and work at it, and we scored a couple of tries late in the match. The replacements deserve credit as well, they made a big difference when they came on.
“I am pleased with the way the team built an innings. The players need to realise this is Test match rugby, not school rugby, and they need to take the points when the opportunities arise.
“That said, the biggest work-on we will take from this match is exactly in that department. We had so many opportunities we didn’t convert, so we have to look at that and see if we can rectify it before the game against Georgia.”
The Junior Springboks get the day started with a gym session im Rosario following their good start to the @WorldRugby U20 Championship against Scotland on Tuesday @Springboks pic.twitter.com/nInRcAKLRx
— Junior Springboks (@JuniorBoks) June 5, 2019
Commenting on the main aspects the team will take from the match going forward in the competition, Roux said: “Our scrummaging went very well today, but we have to work on our line-outs and mauls because that is usually a big aspect of the game at the World Rugby U20 Championship.
“We also need the players to rest and be ready and hungry for the next game, as it is only one down and four to go.”