The South African Men’s Under-17 National Team (Amajimbos) has completed the first phase of preparations ahead of their all-important clash with Tanzania in a 2015 African Youth Championships qualifier scheduled for the 7000-seater Azam Stadium in the capital Dar es Salaam.

The match will be played on Friday, 18 July. Kick-off is at 16h00 local time in Tanzania (3pm SA time).

Coach Molefi Ntseki says he is confident his side can achieve success after their most recent tour.

In preparation for that encounter, South Africa played four matches in two weeks – winning all of them when they defeated Botswana 2-0 and 4-0 and also went on to beat Lesotho 2-0 and 1-0 in Botswana and Lesotho respectively.

Amajimbos scored nine goals with no reply from their opponents.

“The tour was a very big success for us if you look at our preparations and the results that followed,” said SA U17 coach Molefi Ntseki.

“I believe all the traveling has really helped us to prepare thoroughly for Tanzania.

“We reached the climax of our preparations with the last match against Lesotho where we used different players, giving a rest to others.

“We did this exercise to see how the players will react in different situations. Despite all those changes, the team did very well showing some balance in the team.  I am confident that going to Tanzania we will keep the same spirit that prevailed over the last two weeks, as well as the mental strength.”