Junior Springboks won’t change approach in crucial pool match against England

The Junior Springboks have one more tough hurdle to navigate as they aim to take a giant leap towards qualifying for the World Rugby U20 Championship playoffs in Italy.

They face England on Friday evening (6 pm start) in the second pool match, and a win will all but guarantee them a spot in the knock-out round of the Championship. After dispatching Australia easily in the opening round, the defending champions will be a tougher opponent, and the stakes are higher for the South Africans.

Vice-captain Haashim Pead, who was one of the stars against the Aussies, said they won’t deviate from their plan against the English. He expects the side to still bring that physicality while keeping their shape on the attack.

“We have done our homework on England, and we expect them to play an exciting brand of rugby,” Pead said ahead of the game.

“They have a good kicking game too. Our preparation has gone well, and we will stick to our DNA, which is our physicality with the forwards. The foundation they laid for us was simply amazing. The go-forward balls in the scrums, lineouts and mauling gave the backs a perfect platform to execute our set plays and score from first-phase possession.

“It is a massive challenge and opportunity for us as a team against England, and we are excited to be involved in such a game.”

Junior Springbok outside centre Gino Cupido is hoping the lessons he learned from the Blitzboks will stand him in good stead. The lanky speedster was drafted into the starting lineup against the English and will be one of a handful of guys with international senior experience taking the field.

“At the Sevens, we are taught not to be afraid to play our game. I was lucky to have an experienced coach like Philip Snyman who backed me. He and the guys in the Blitzboks setup motivated me not to be afraid to express myself.

“It gives me that confidence to know that guys are backing me no matter the performance I put out.”

Coming off that rousing victory over Australia in the first round, the South African Under-20s will have to stay grounded if they want to beat the English. They must work for the full 80 minutes to keep the world champions at bay.

“The focus will be to just take things as they come and not to look too far ahead. We know we are still playing some strong opposition in the tournament.”

The Junior Boks owe England one as the champions beat the hosts in Cape Town last year in the pool stages on their way to the title.