Junior Springbok plans falling into place
Theron’s training squad has been in Stellenbosch since the beginning of the month, where the focus has been on familiarising themselves with the game plan, and improving their conditioning and fitness.
The Junior Springboks, who secured the bronze medal at the 2015 World Rugby U20 Championship in Italy, will kick off their 2016 campaign in Manchester, England, against Japan on June 7 at the Academy Stadium, before taking on Argentina on June 11 at the AJ Bell Stadium, and France on June 15 back at the Academy Stadium in the pool stages.
“The players have been working very hard in the last few weeks, and their commitment has certainly impressed me,” said Theron.
“Some of the players were involved in Varsity Cup matches, while others have been called on for provincial duty over the last few weekends, but despite this, the tempo and intensity of our training sessions have been inspiring and I have to commend the players for that.
“We are now reaching a stage where our structures and systems are falling into place, and we simply need to continue building on this base as the World Championship approaches.”
The Junior Bok training squad had their first contact session against the Western Province Rugby Institute last Friday, and they will have two more contact sessions against the Western Province Academy and the Western Province Rugby Institute respectively before participating in their official warm-up matches.
The side will face the Golden Lions U19 and U21 teams in Johannesburg on May 13 in their first warm-up match, which will be followed by clashes against Maties in Stellenbosch on May 17 and the SWD Eagles in Oudtshoorn on May 21.
“I was satisfied with our contact session against the Western Province Institute, but there is hard work ahead to reach the level of rugby where we could compete against the best teams in the world,” Theron added.
“We have two more contact sessions before we begin with our warm-up games, and I would like to see the players raise their game in those sessions and make a steady improvement in all areas, as we will have to be at our best for the international showpiece.”
Theron’s final 28-man World Championship squad’s capping ceremony is scheduled for June 1 and departure for Manchester the following day.
The semi-finals of the World Championship will be contested on Monday, June 20, while the last round of matches, which includes with the eagerly-anticipated final, will be played on Saturday, June 25.
Junior Springboks pool fixtures, World Rugby U20 Championship (SA Time):
Tuesday, June 7: 16.15 – South Africa v Japan (Academy Stadium)
Saturday, June 11: 19.00 – South Africa v Argentina (AJ Bell Stadium)
Wednesday, June 15: 20.45 – South Africa v France (Academy Stadium)