What pleased Kevin Foote most about Junior Springboks win over England

Junior Springboks head coach Kevin Foote praised his players’ composure and character after South Africa’s U20 side pulled off a stirring 32–22 comeback win over England in Rovigo on Friday night.

The defending champions had roared into a 14-0 lead inside 12 minutes, but the Junior Boks struck back with 13 unanswered points in the second half, including a long-range penalty and a brace of tries from Haashim Pead.

Yet it was the defensive set that stood out most for Foote.

“We’ll take a lot of confidence from this victory, but Scotland are a good side, they ran England close in the Six Nations, and we certainly will not underestimate any team ever – we’ll keep our feet on the ground and focus on the next job,” said Foote.

England led 22–19 at the break, but South Africa’s dominance in the third quarter proved decisive. Vusi Moyo slotted a 60-metre penalty to put his side in front, and Pead’s bonus-point try extended the advantage.

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From there, the Junior Boks closed ranks with a commanding defensive display.

“Having said that, I thought the boys showed massive character tonight to come back from 14-0 down, take the lead with some great attacking play, and then keep England out for the rest of the match,” Foote said.

“I have to applaud the leadership in our team as well – the players never panicked and those two penalty goals by Vusi early in the second half gave us momentum, after which I was super proud of our defence at the end.”

The result sees South Africa top Pool A with a full haul of 10 points, with one match remaining against Scotland. A semi-final place is now firmly within reach.

Foote noted areas for improvement, especially in the early stages, where England disrupted the Boks at the breakdown and forced fatigue-related errors.

“We were a bit slow at the breakdowns early in the game, where we turned over ball that gave England momentum and fatigued us,” said Foote.

“But as a team we spoke about getting better the harder the game gets. We remained calm and stuck to getting the next job done, staying with our processes and keeping the scoreboard ticking over.”

South Africa’s defensive system, highlighted as an area of focus earlier in the year, stood up well in the final quarter.

“I also think our combinations are starting to click on defence, something we identified as an area to work on earlier in the season, and the way in which the guys defended at the end was huge.

“The players deserve credit for their bravery on defence and executing on the field – they showed great character, which is testament to the culture and belief in this team.”

Captain Riley Norton also reflected on the win and praised his team’s resolve after a tough start.

“We knew it was going to be tough, but I’m very proud of our defence at the end, as it’s something we pride ourselves on as South Africans,” said Norton.

“We’re out here giving everything for our country and we’re all very proud of the win, but we’re still building, and we’ll take massive confidence from this game.

“To be honest, it’s not quite sunk in yet. We will celebrate tonight, but tomorrow we go again – it’s five days until we face Scotland and we have the bigger picture in mind, so we’re very excited for the next three games.”

South Africa will face Scotland at 15:30 local time in Calvisano on Wednesday. The three pool winners and the best-placed runner-up will progress to the semi-finals, set for Monday 14 July.