Head coach Bafana Nhleko believes beating England in the bronze final of the World U20 Championship on Friday will be a huge motivating factor for the Junior Springboks.
Nhleko was speaking after the Junior Boks lost 31-12 to Ireland in the semi-finals at the Athlone Stadium on Sunday. The South Africans had a strong start but were outplayed by the U20 Six Nations champions in the second half.
“It was a disappointing result for us, especially given the way we started the first half,” said Nhleko. “We finished strong in our last game against Argentina and then continued that in the first half against Ireland, so our second half dip was not what we expected. We will have to go and have a look at what went wrong.
“The review will show us where we came up short, but because of the nature of the tournament, we will need to move on from this defeat – the focus will now shift to England and the bronze final. We still have a medal to win.”
The Junior Boks have finished third more than any other team in the history of the competition, and for Nhleko the only aim for Friday is to win.
ALSO: Boks to face All Blacks on ‘neutral field’
“We seem to battle to get past the semi-finals over the years, but it is not over yet,” he said. “We are still in the competition with something to gain and that is where we are heading now with our preparation.”
Nhleko also feels the South Africans have another opportunity to showcase their worth as a group: “The group have shown good growth over the last couple of months and have one more opportunity to lay down a marker, to show what they are capable of and to leave a memory to those who follow and support the game.
“This group can take confidence from the fact that they can compete on a certain level, and they have one more opportunity to show that.”
Nhleko said it is scant reward that they are the only southern hemisphere team in the final four, adding: “The dominance of the northern hemisphere teams is obvious and, in that regard, I suppose we do carry the hopes of the southern hemisphere to get onto the podium.
“I am sure New Zealand and Australia would have loved to be in our position on the last day of the tournament.”
The SA team to face England will be announced on Wednesday.
Photo: @JuniorBoks/Twitter