U20 Bok coach Chean Roux pleased as Junior Boks kick off warm-up itinerary with a win
JOBURG – Junior Bok coach, Cheane Roux, tugs at the ropes in preparation for the 2017 Junior World Cup in June.
International rugby novices and future Springbok headliners, the Junior Boks, engaged battle formations when they assembled at the HT Pelatona Projects Stadium in Welkom, Free State.
This is ahead of the 2017 World Rugby U20 Championship in the US state of Georgia, from 31 May to 13 June.
After handing the Griffons a 24–20 defeat in the sweltering Welkom heat, Junior Bok coach, Chean Roux was delighted with his team’s efforts in the lead-up to the tournament.
“For our first game, I am very happy with the performance. We certainly saw what we wanted to see. Some of the players put up their hands, which was encouraging, and our commitment on defence was pleasing at times,” Roux said, reflecting on the team’s performance.
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“Obviously there were mistakes, but it was the first competitive game that we played. In general, however, it was a good performance on what was a hot afternoon.”
Roux added that more hard work would be in order moving ahead to reach the standard of play expected to compete in Georgia. “We haven’t worked much on our first phases, so there is a lot of work to be done on our line-outs, scrums and at the breakdowns, which is one of the pillars of our game. So those are the main areas we have to work on this week.”
Griffons flanker Jean Pretorius scored the first try of the match, which was then ably converted by flyhalf Juan Kotze. Kotze followed this up with a penalty minutes later to open up a 10–0 lead. The Junior Boks were, however, equal to the task as they struck back with two tries courtesy of hooker, Daniel Jooste.
Centre Wayne van der Bank then scored the team’s third minutes before the halftime break, gathering a pop pass from fullback Gianni Lombard to cross the line and secure a 17–10 halftime lead. At the resumption, the Junior Boks picked up where they left off with winger, Mfundo Ndhlovu touching down for the team’s fourth try, two minutes in.
The Griffons, however, staged a fightback of sorts by applying pressure on attack. Their efforts paid off when centre, Duan Pretorius crossed the line to reduce the gap to 24–15. Replacement winger, Calvano King added another try for the
hosts in the dying minutes to reduce the gap on the scoreboard to four points. The Junior Boks, however, managed to sustain the pressure to secure a 24–20 victory in the first of five warm-up outings.
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