The Junior Springboks are not getting carried away by an emphatic victory over arch-rivals Australia in the World Rugby Under 20 Championship opener in Italy.
The South Africans were just as hot as the searing Calvisano heat, serving up 11 tries in a 73-17 rout of the Junior Wallabies. But despite that, they are not resting on their laurels.
SA U20 captain Riley Norton said immediately after the win, that while this was a satisfying performance, it certainly wasn’t a complete one.
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“Definitely not the perfect performance, hey. Australia played some really good rugby there at the end and definitely still some things for us to improve. I’m proud of the gents, we’ll enjoy the victory tonight but then it’s straight back to work. It’s a five-day turnaround then we’ve got to get ready for England, who are a great team.”
Norton said he was most pleased by how the Junior Boks used possession.
“What pleased me the most was how we were able to hold on to the ball through numerous phases and go coast to coast. In the TRC [The Under 20 Rugby Championship] it’s something we really wanted to improve on. Our outside backs were absolutely unbelievable, in their one-on-ones with wings and outside backs. They could score from anywhere. And of course our set piece. We as South Africans pride ourselves on that and I think it fired today as well. ”
The Junior Springboks had a point to prove in this competition after a disappointing Under 20 Rugby Championship on home soil last month. They lost 48-45 to New Zealand after blowing a 17-0 lead against Australia to finish third overall.
Norton says they definitely wanted to set the record straight.
“We talked about it a lot. We never like losing, especially at home in front of our home crowd, so it was definitely something that fuelled us for today.”
Next up for the Junior Springboks is a clash against defending champions England on Friday at 6pm.
Photo: Sabrina Conforti / World Rugby
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