He has praised his team for raising the level in the World Rugby Under-20 Championship game, which they could not lose, beating Wales 52-33 on Tuesday afternoon, the coach of the young Springboks, Kevin Foote.
The captain, Siphosethu Mnebelele, scored two tries for the team as well as Liam van Wyk, while Hendre Schoeman, Ethan Adams, Heinrich Theron and Risima Khosa get one each.
Some of the points came from six conversions by flyhalf Yaqeen Ahmed, put them in the middle with his foot.
Winning this game at Avchala Stadium, in the city of Tbilisi, Georgia, ensured that South Africa finished at the top of Group A with 15 points.
New Zealand topped Group B with 15 points, England topped Group C with 15 points and France topped Group D with 15 points.
“We started the game in a low gear but as it continued we were able to get a good run. We created a lot of chances to score tries. We attacked really well and the players showed a lot of determination, they were able to control the game,” said Foote.
“There are things we need to fix in the way we mark and keep the ball. We will analyze the game, especially where we lost the ball, and see how we can fix that before the semi-final.”
The local team will face England, who are also undefeated in the tournament, in the semi-finals to be played at Avchala Stadium on Monday, at 6.30 pm.
“We achieved our first goal by going through the group stage but now we are looking at the playoffs. There are players in the team who have played this type of game before and we are looking to see them help us with their experience,” said Foote.
The Junior Bokke are looking to defend the title they won in Italy last year where they defeated New Zealand in the final.
In this year’s other semi-final, New Zealand will face France at Avchala Stadium on Monday at 4pm.
