Junior Springbok coach Chean Roux expressed his satisfaction as the SA Under-19s ground out a morale-boosting 28-21 victory in a hard-fought and physical encounter against Georgia at the Shevardeni Rugby Stadium in Tbilisi on Monday.
The clash marked the first of two matches between the teams in the country’s capital.
Making the victory even more rewarding was the fact that the South Africans received three yellow cards in the match, which saw them play with 14 men for 30 of the 80 minutes.
The first half was hard-fought as both teams threw everything at one another on attack and stood firm on defence, but Georgia’s two penalty goals and two tries – one of which was converted – to only two converted tries by the SA Under-19s, allowed the home side to sneak into an 18-14 lead shortly before halftime.
Roux’s charges hit back after the break to add two converted tries, taking their tally in the match to four, while they limited the hosts to one penalty goal.
“It was a tough game, especially in the windy and cold conditions, which the players are not used to,” said Roux. “But our defence held well, and we managed to keep them out over several phases.
“That said, the score wasn’t the most important aspect of the match for us, it was more the opportunity to assess the players and to get to know them better under tough circumstances. And it certainly says a lot about their character.”
With a second match-up lined up against Georgia on Thursday, Roux said: “The areas we need to work on going forward are our discipline – we cannot afford to get three yellow cards – and our penalty count, as we conceded almost 15 penalties in the match.
“But this is a learning process. Most players met one another for the first time last week Monday, and it is pleasing to see how things are coming together.”
In partnership with ANA and Sports Leo
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