Captain Siphosethu Mnebelele and flyhalf Yaqeen Ahmed have spoken of a tight-knit, focused group ahead of Saturday evening's Junior World Championship final against France Under-20 in Tbilisi, with kick-off at 18h30 SA time on SuperSport.
Mnebelele, a hooker in his second JWC campaign, described a squad locked in on the task. "We are well prepared for the final match, and we are all excited to represent South Africa in the final," he said. "This is a new group, essentially, and our focus is only on the game and nothing else. Our focus is to be ready to take on a very good French side who have demonstrated their abilities by reaching the final."
Ahmed credited the coaching and medical staff for building an environment that has underpinned the team's run to the decider. "They make it a really good environment for us, and all the boys are so focused and disciplined in their preparation and recovery," he said. "It is really a team effort every day that we spend together. Those who are not in the team help the coaches prepare the guys who are playing. We motivate and push each other, and we keep learning and improving with each session."
Coach Kevin Foote has made three changes to the starting side that defeated England in the semi-final.
The Junior Boks will wear black armbands as a mark of respect for former SA Under-18 prop Luqobo Makwedini, who passed away on 10 July at the end of a training session with his French club AS Béziers Hérault.
South Africa won last year's JWC final against New Zealand in Italy and go into Saturday's match as defending champions.