Junior Boks coach Kevin Foote praised his side’s willingness to stay on task after their 97-0 hammering of Chile on Thursday.
The U20 world champions scored 15 tries in the U20 International Series encounter at Rondebosch Boys’ High in Cape Town.
“I am happy [with the result], but for me it was more about the maturity of the group,” said Foote. “In a game like that, your plan can perhaps get a little loose, but I thought the players managed it well.
“We only got together on Monday, so for a lot of these guys it was an important chance to put up their hands, both for the Junior World Championship and for the future.”
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Foote also pointed to the depth that has been built across the wider Junior Boks group, saying the team’s ability to make numerous changes without losing fluency was the result of months of planning and alignment.
“Some of the players who came in showed they have got big futures ahead of them. They stayed hungry and kept working, and that is exactly what you want to see,” Foote said.
“It was also great to have players back from injury such as Pieter van der Merwe, for instance. Rehab can be a lonely place, so when someone returns and contributes from both a playing and leadership point of view, that is a real positive for us.”
Despite the lopsided score, Foote insisted the outing offered valuable lessons.
“There were good things in the performance, but we want to keep pushing.
“Chile don’t always get the same opportunities that we do, but they brought fight, line speed and real effort. We are grateful to them for being here. Fiji and Georgia will also test us in different ways, so there is still lots for us to work on.”
South Africa’s next match is against Fiji at Wynberg Boys’ High on Tuesday (3pm), following the clash between Chile and Georgia (1pm).
Photo: Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images
