Junior Boks grit out Georgia victory
Today at 12:51 PM
The Junior Springboks made a winning start to their two-match series against the Georgia U20s in Tbilisi on Sunday.
Kevin Foote’s charges won 38-29 at the Avchala Stadium, after leading by 26-17 at half time. The SA U20s scored six tries and four conversions, while the Georgians replied with five tries with only two were converted.
The Junior Bok coach said afterwards his charges did well to pull though in the end, learning good lessons on the way. "It was a fantastic hit out for us, considering that we played in conditions that we're not used to," said Foote from a cold Tbilisi.
"We started really well and then the penalty count started going against us, something we will have to look at from a disciplinary perspective."
Although there were some lapses in concentration which led to the penalties and opening the door for Georgia to persist with the scoreboard pressure, Foote said he saw enough to be encouraged.
"We came here with objectives in mind, and that was to be really good in our set piece, and think our lineouts are starting to take shape; our mauls are looking good and our scrums as well," said Foote.
"However, a big work-on for us is our maul defence and making sure we get our roles right – and that goes through every aspect, making sure we don't get those big spikes, where we are really good, and then falling off our detail.
"The second thing to work on is to carry clean and make sure we are nice and clinical with our clean outs. Those are two things that really stood out for us."
Foote was also pleased with his team's defensive effort: "I thought our defence was good, the guys did well in general defensive play and I think we understood our game management when we had ball in hand, understanding when to kick and when not to kick.
"I am pleased and respectful of the effort in conditions that are foreign to us, against an opponent who are used to the conditions and being able to adapt its plan to make it difficult for us, especially when we got the yellow card in the second half."
The two teams will meet on Friday in the second and last meeting of the series.
Scorers:
Georgia U20 – Tries: Shota Kheladze, Saba Laghedze (2), Beka Neparidze, Nugzar Kevkhisvili. Conversions: David Tsiklauri, Giorgi Sesiashvili.
Junior Springboks – Tries: Gilermo Mento, Chijindu Okonta, Dominic Malgas, Divan Fuller, Cheswill Jooste, Xola Nyali. Conversions: Matthew Coetzee (3), JT Kapank.
The post Junior Boks grit out Georgia victory appeared first on SA Rugby magazine.
