Junior Springbok assistant coach Lumumba Currie has acknowledged the SA U20s' strong pool-stage showing at the Junior World Championship in Tbilisi while making clear the defending champions know there is more to come before Monday's semi-final against England.
The Junior Boks topped Pool A unbeaten, racking up 189 points and 29 tries across three matches — a tournament-leading points difference of +144. Wins over Uruguay (104-7) and hosts Georgia (33-5) preceded Tuesday evening's 52-33 victory over Wales, which Currie described as effectively a pool decider given the sides were separated by just one point heading in.
The Wales match illustrated both the team's strengths and the areas Currie wants tightened. The Junior Boks trailed 14-0 inside the opening 11 minutes before overpowering their opponents with eight tries, five of them off lineout mauls — a direct reflection of the forward dominance that has underpinned the campaign. Georgia similarly applied early pressure before the Junior Boks pulled clear.
"Our pack has taken us forward throughout the tournament and managed to give us momentum in all three matches," Currie said. "Defensively we've done some good things as well, but there are areas we need to focus because soft moments can hurt you in this competition, where the format is unforgiving."
Despite the half-century against Wales, Currie was candid about the finishing that got away. "Even though we scored more than 50 points, we felt we left more points on the field because of opportunities we didn't finish. That's the reality of knockout rugby — when you create chances, you need to take them."
England arrive at the semi-final in equally imperious form, topping Pool C with victories over Ireland (34-27), USA (68-40) and Argentina (40-38) to also collect a full 15 pool points. Currie is under no illusions about the step up in class. "England are a world-class side. We've had some excellent battles against them over the years and whenever you play England the intensity and execution go to another level."
The other semi-final pairs France and New Zealand — meaning all four of the tournament's most decorated nations are in the last four. France and New Zealand kick off at 16h00 SA time at the Avchala Stadium, with the Junior Boks and England following at 18h30. Both matches are live on SuperSport.