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One final push from their potent forward pack will be required if the Junior Springboks are to succeed in their mission of toppling France in Saturday’s Junior World Championship final in Georgia.It was the forwards who provided the platform for the Junior Boks to roar into the final when they beat England 53-37 in Tbilisi on Monday, and SA are looking for more of the same from their big men up front.Delighted SA assistant coach Melusi Mthethwa praised the composure and belief shown by his team after they fought back from an eight-point first-half deficit to beat England.The victory kept SA firmly on track to successfully defend their Junior World Championship crown.The Junior Boks trailed 20-12 at halftime after England made a strong start and placed them under pressure in a fiercely contested semifinal.The Junior Bok try scorers against England were Yaqeen Ahmed, Khuthadzo Rasivhaga (3), Kebotile Maake (2) and Luke Cannon.France have been outstanding. Against New Zealand they worked hard, stayed in the fight right until the end and showed tremendous spirit. They’re also the Six Nations champions, so we know they’re going to be a huge challenge— Kevin Foote, Juniors Boks coach Mthethwa, the team’s attack coach, said the coaching staff were pleased with the way the players absorbed England’s early pressure before responding with greater precision after the break.“We knew the first half was going to be very, very tough,” he said. “They had a plan, and they tried to stop us, and they did that very well. Credit to the boys,— they handled that well.“At halftime we identified a few opportunities we needed to take. In the second half, we were able to take control of those opportunities, which was great.”Mthethwa said the players’ ability to remain calm under scoreboard pressure was one of the most pleasing aspects of the performance. “We spoke about our detail and accuracy, and the guys responded very well,” he said.That belief was reflected in a strong second-half performance, with Rasivhaga scoring three tries as South Africa turned pressure into points.The Junior Bok wing said they had expected England to come hard at them early and knew they had to stay in the contest.“We spoke about it during the week, and we knew England were going to come hard in that first 40-minutes,” Rasivhaga said. “We had to contain them and stay in the fight, kept backing ourselves and stayed patient. We weren’t as accurate as we wanted to be in the first half, but we started the second half much better, and we took our opportunities.“The forwards did a fantastic job. We’ve worked hard together during the week, and they did exactly what was required. They gave us good ball and created the platform for us to play.”Head coach Kevin Foote said France would pose a huge threat to SA’s hopes of victory on Saturday.“France have been outstanding,” he said. “Against New Zealand they worked hard, stayed in the fight right until the end and showed tremendous spirit. They’re also the Six Nations champions, so we know they’re going to be a huge challenge.“For us, it’s about recovering well, enjoying the opportunity to spend another week together as a group, and then looking forward to the final.”The final will take place at the Mikheil Meskhi Stadium in Tbilisi, where kickoff is scheduled for 6.30pm on Saturday.The Herald
