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Junior Springboks nil Georgia in Tbilisi
By Ian Cameron
The Junior Springboks produced a clinical first-half display to secure a 35-0 victory over Georgia in the first of two internationals at the Avchala Stadium in Tbilisi on Sunday.
South Africa ran in five converted tries before the break to effectively settle the contest, but the second half proved a far sterner examination as Georgia showed greater resolve and the visitors’ cohesion dipped following wholesale changes.
Kevin Foote’s side struck early and never let up in the opening 40 minutes. Scrumhalf Hendre Schoeman opened the scoring before Danie Kruger, Liam van Wyk, Kebotile Maake and Gert Kemp each crossed the line. Fly-half Yaqeen Ahmed added all five conversions as the Junior Boks built a commanding 35-0 halftime lead.
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Despite the scoreboard pressure, the South Africans were not without their early challenges. “We had a lot of penalties going against us in the first five minutes, but the guys showed massive character,” said Foote.
That character translated into control. The Junior Boks absorbed pressure, defended with accuracy and converted their chances with efficiency to seize full command before the interval.
Foote and his staff opted to change the entire side at halftime in a bid to give the full squad meaningful minutes ahead of the upcoming Junior World Championship, which will also be staged in Tbilisi.
“We started really well – it was a great hit out for us, especially being able to use the stadium and facilities where we’ll play our Junior World Championship matches (later this year),” Foote explained.
The second period lacked the fluency of the first. Handling errors crept in, the penalty count mounted and Georgia spent extended spells on attack. However, the hosts were unable to capitalise.
“We changed the whole team at halftime just to give everyone a run, but after that, we couldn’t really control the game. The penalty count was just too much, and we had too many handling errors,” said Foote.
Even so, South Africa’s defensive line held firm. “The guys were resilient, and even though we didn’t score, we kept them out despite the many penalties and turnovers. There was a lot of courage in our defence.”
“We learnt some good lessons from both halves, and we’ll build on them going into next week’s Test.”
Scorers:
Junior Boks 35 (35) – Tries: Hendre Schoeman, Danie Kruger, Liam van Wyk, Kebotile Maake, Gert Kemp. Conversions: Yaqeen Ahmed (5).
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