'It got quite heated': SA youngsters show their passion in tough French workout

SPOTLIGHT: Junior Springbok coach Kevin Foote has ticked some important boxes ahead of the SA Under-19 Academy side’s first tour match.

Foote was very pleased with the tough workout against their French counterparts late Monday afternoon at the French Rugby Federation’s High-Performance centre in Marcoussis near Paris, where they are based during the French leg of their European tour.

The two sides are gearing up to face each other in an international friendly at Châteauroux on Saturday. Both teams got a good taste of what’s to come when they had a series of unit sessions and a full-on contact session on the Marcoussis fields on Monday.

After warm-ups and technical drills were completed, the teams used each other as live opposition during the forwards and backs unit sessions.

The forwards staged proper scrums and line-outs, while the backlines got a chance to run some active plays – both on attack and defence.

Foote, who oversees the SA U19s, said he and his coaching staff were grateful for the opportunity and expressed his satisfaction with the various outcomes.

“The practice was really good for us and we saw from our line-outs, as well as our mauling, scrum, and our set-piece, all the good work that Lumumba Currie [forwards coach] has done,” said Foote.

“Melusi Mthethwa [attack coach] had a chance to run some backline plays against the French, and it got quite heated at one stage. There was a bit of passion, and I think both teams are very excited about representing their country, of which we are very proud. Then we had a proper training hit out involving the full teams.”

Following a brief break after the unit sessions, the two teams met for a live training session, where both sides used the opportunity to cycle their full squads into the action.

Foote pinpointed one area for improvement: “One work-on for us is definitely our breakdown. I think they challenged us really hard in that area and came with a lot of line speed. We’ve got to understand how we want to play against them and how we’re going to nullify the breakdown pressure.

“But, generally, I’m very happy, I thought the guys stuck together and they played a nice brand of rugby. We managed to score some great tries, and we defended very well. So, it is a good start to our French tour, allowing us to build nicely towards Saturday’s international at Châteauroux.”

Foote stressed the overall goal of the tour: “The whole purpose of this trip is to get our game clarity right, understanding how we want to play and connecting with each other.

“We also want to enjoy the touring experience in France and make new friends, and we would like to thank them for their hospitality.

“All-round, it’s just very good for our rugby, and we’re learning a lot. When it went to the live session, some guys showed they are ready to step up to this level. We want to make sure we get our fundamentals right.”

The South Africans are set to announce their team for the international against France U19 on Thursday.