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'The easy option would have been to do something out of character'

(Photo by Ashley Vlotman/Gallo Images for World Rugby)

Having squeezed in attendance at four of the six round one Junior World Championship on Saturday despite a 40-minute road trip separating Paarl from Stellenbosch, RugbyPass encountered a pile of head coaches with a smattering of very different post-game emotions. There was agony, there was ecstasy and there was also plenty of relief.

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For instance, New Zealand boss Clark Laidlaw outlined his sense of reassurance after his team eventually turned up in the second half in Paarl to finesse a 5-19 half-time deficit into a 27-26 win over Wales. Then there was Junior Boks head coach Bafana Nhleko, whose team anxiously laboured in Stellenbosch against Georgia.

They lost a man to the second-half sin bin at a time when they were just two points up, but the sense of emergency that playing with just 14 players suddenly sparked a gallop that left them deserving 10-point winners.

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South Africa’s Director of Rugby Johan Erasmus unpacks the weight of expectation on the Springboks at the World Cup

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    South Africa’s Director of Rugby Johan Erasmus unpacks the weight of expectation on the Springboks at the World Cup

    As the host nation, it was inevitable that their opener attracted the day’s biggest attendance, but it took them a while to get local fans to fully engage with their efforts judging by how beer, food and Mexican waves occupied their attention for long tracts before the night finally came alive in the closing quarter and South Africa pushed on to win 33-23.

    Nhleko is a long-time servant at this age-grade level, assisting the Junior Boks since 2018 and then taking the head-coaching reins from Chean Roux in February 2021. Progress was shackled by the pandemic but having secured first place at last June’s six-team Summer Series in Italy, the ambition now is to win his country its first U20s World Cup since 2012, the last time South Africa staged the tournament.

    With that pressure of hosting on them, round one was very much a story of victory before a performance for Nhleko, simply to get the show up and running. “We will take the win,” he told RugbyPass. “That is the first thing that you wish for and then you worry about the performances later, so very happy we got the win. Proud of the boys’ character, especially in the second half the way they held it together under immense, immense pressure.

    “We spoke a lot about how game one was going to be how we gauge where we really are. We haven’t really had international rugby and we don’t know where we stand, so it was important for us to understand what Test rugby is about at this level and for the boys to get a good feeling of tournament rugby. It’s out of the way now. They have got a taste of it, but the big thing is how we grow from here.”

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    There were reasons for optimism despite the frayed nerves. “Some good character at face value the way they stemmed the tide. I’m not sure how many consecutive penalties were against us and just the way they found a way to get out of that and the decision-making out of that to just keep the scoreboard ticking – the easy option would have been to try and do something out of character.”

    Italy are next up for South Africa in Paarl on Thursday and they are optimistic about building support for the team through to what they hope will be a July 14 final appearance at the 34,000-capacity Athlone Stadium on the outskirts of Cape Town.

    “I am hoping (that will be the case), but the most important thing for us is how we perform and how we get certain things right in the field,” insisted Nhleko.

    “It has been the message throughout to the boys, that they can’t worry about the support and people getting behind you. The only thing you can do is perform well and if you do the right things on the field, naturally people will get behind you.”

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    South Africa had quite a while to wait last Saturday, their game being the last of the day with a 7pm local time kick-off. It gave them ample opportunity to size up their potential rivals for the trophy and to also absorb the excitement of seeing the tournament swing back into action for the first time since 2019.

    “We played the last game, so we got to watch a few of them. Argentina-Italy, watched them a little. Watched England-Ireland, that was quite a cracker of a game. Some of Australia-Fiji as well, there has been some amazing rugby throughout. It is going to be a tough comp.

    “We know it [the Junior World Championship] is the bedrock of guys coming through, we have seen the last one was 2018, 2019 and most of those guys (that won the titles) are now playing for the French international team. It is an important part of the rugby landscape. It’s phenomenal.”

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    Comments on RugbyPass

    J
    JW 1 hour ago
    Where is the new breed of All Black 10?

    Players like Prendergast and Finn Smith already have a few seasons at top club level under their belt and are now test players, at an age when NZ players make their debuts in SR.

    That’s just a difference in standards. You’re confusing SR for being their local domestic comps, where it’s more accurately comparable to Champions Cup, apart from that teams are happy to throw games as it’s in a bit of a limbo in terms of importance atm.


    All these kids have been playing for a comparable NPC team for years now. Sam is no where near ready for tests but he has a great temperament, much like Sextons, that makes it a good choice to speed up his development. He wasn’t even a comparable Super Rugby starter before playing for Ireland, so not a great comparison.


    Fin would be much better example, but then England don’t have 3 world class Test tens in front of him (not that I’d put Beauden their but obviously in terms of young NZ players chances, he is). Would he otherwise have debuted at the same age as Fergus Burke (injury and leaving withstanding), around 24, a couple of years later? England also aren’t as pedantic to who they give jerseys to, in NZ a test jersey is very hard earned for the most part.


    In general I think the effects are as you say, but the only difference is the money involved, as you yourself said, their paths are just as all over the show being loaned out playing for clubs etc. My solution to that, and what you perceive as the problem, would be to introduce university football that utilitizes the large investment they have into high performance sport.

    88 Go to comments
    J
    Jennifer Ross 4 hours ago
    One rule for Europe's copycats, another for the Springboks

    The topic of recovery services and the efficacy of Wizard Hilton Cyber Tech warrants a closer examination. Recovery services are a critical component of any comprehensive cybersecurity strategy, as they provide the means to restore systems, data, and operations in the event of a breach or other disruptive incident. Wizard Hilton Cyber Tech is a leading provider in this space, offering a suite of advanced recovery solutions designed to ensure business continuity and mitigate the potentially devastating impacts of cyber attacks. At the core of their offerings is a robust, AI-driven platform that continuously monitors systems, detects anomalies, and triggers rapid, automated recovery procedures. This allows organizations to bounce back quickly, often with minimal downtime or data loss. Wizard Hilton's approach also emphasizes the importance of comprehensive testing and simulation, putting recovery protocols through their paces to validate effectiveness and uncover potential weaknesses. Additionally, their team of seasoned cybersecurity experts provides hands-on guidance, tailoring solutions to the unique needs of each client. By combining cutting-edge technology with deep industry expertise, Wizard Hilton Cyber Tech has established itself as a trusted partner in the realm of recovery services, empowering organizations to safeguard their most valuable digital assets and ensure business resilience in the face of ever-evolving cyber threats. Contact: for assistance.

    Regards.

    28 Go to comments
    J
    Jennifer Ross 4 hours ago
    One rule for Europe's copycats, another for the Springboks

    The topic of recovery services and the efficacy of Wizard Hilton Cyber Tech warrants a closer examination. Recovery services are a critical component of any comprehensive cybersecurity strategy, as they provide the means to restore systems, data, and operations in the event of a breach or other disruptive incident. Wizard Hilton Cyber Tech is a leading provider in this space, offering a suite of advanced recovery solutions designed to ensure business continuity and mitigate the potentially devastating impacts of cyber attacks. At the core of their offerings is a robust, AI-driven platform that continuously monitors systems, detects anomalies, and triggers rapid, automated recovery procedures. This allows organizations to bounce back quickly, often with minimal downtime or data loss. Wizard Hilton’s approach also emphasizes the importance of comprehensive testing and simulation, putting recovery protocols through their paces to validate effectiveness and uncover potential weaknesses. Additionally, their team of seasoned cybersecurity experts provides hands-on guidance, tailoring solutions to the unique needs of each client. By combining cutting-edge technology with deep industry expertise, Wizard Hilton Cyber Tech has established itself as a trusted partner in the realm of recovery services, empowering organizations to safeguard their most valuable digital assets and ensure business resilience in the face of ever-evolving cyber threats. Contact: for assistance,

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    28 Go to comments
    J
    JW 4 hours ago
    Where is the new breed of All Black 10?

    JJ and DMac shows how little attention you actually pay to the substance of the articles.

    What do you mean by that? For lack of an answer from you I’d suggest yuo need to look at the game again and then read your article. Because although I’m not going to again but I did quickly review the videos and they all match correctly with my perception.

    JTPL is shifting towards overseas players being JQP in future

    No they’re not, thats a flatout lie Nick. You can find an article on here with their CEO where they want more out of their deals but it’s standard professional sports fair, nothing underhand like the NH does. I find that quite foul that you would share such a view.


    I suppose the new World Club League thats starting would die for the best ABs even for just a year, and probably set them up even better. Mo’unga hadn’t done enough to earn a sabbatical though. This is where NZR needs to start questioning itself. You can’t blame the player if the NZR are not even interesting in offering you a contract. In situations where say NZR aren’t able to reach 70% of the offer I think a great starting point would be for them to be treated differently than someone who just left for money. NZR could say make that player immediately eligible if NZR decide to make a fair offer and they sign to return, with players putting in their overseas contracts a right to leave early if they resign back with NZR.


    Even with Japans fading desire for sabbaticals I still think NZ can make it a good destination and have many reciprocal agreements with JRFU and the JRLO teams. The situation still very much favours NZ and Australia but it’s upto them to make the most of it or the JRFU won’t see any reason to be the ones always giving the favours.

    88 Go to comments
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