Kevin Foote says the Junior Springboks’ clash against Hamiltons was another valuable opportunity to give his players time on the field and assess their potential.
The head coach was speaking after the SA U20s scored 12 tries in a 78-7 victory at the Cape club side in Green Point last week.
It was part of a series of local training matches for the Junior Boks in preparation for the rest of the season, and Foote emphasised the importance of these games in getting them ready.
“It’s massively important for us to get these games under our belt and help us prepare,” he said.
“I thought there was a big improvement from our game against the Vodacom Bulls U21s the week before in Stellenbosch, especially around our physicality.
“We had a nice hit-out and gave enough guys time to play and see their potential,” Foote added. “At the same time, we’ve managed to broaden our squad depth, which will make it very challenging to select squads going forward.”
He also highlighted the work of assistant coach Lumumba Currie: “Lumumba has been unbelievable and has really kicked on from last year.
“You can see his detail and passion around the breakdown, and having some of the players from last year has made a big difference. For that, we are grateful.”
According to Foote, all the players who have participated are still in contention in the buildup to the World Rugby U20 Championship in Italy in June and July.
“The door is obviously not closed to anyone, and we still have work to do, but for now we want to finalise our squad for the U20 Rugby Championship and are looking forward to playing against our southern hemisphere teams,” he said.
