Baby Boks: Calm heads needed
Wing Sergeal Petersen said calm heads will be needed when South Africa Under-20 tackle hosts New Zealand in the semifinal at the IRB Junior World Championship this coming Sunday.
Petersen is one of the 'senior' players in the squad and he has already played Super Rugby for the Port Elizabeth-based Southern Kings.
The Junior Boks finished top of the standings after wining all three their Pool C matches – against Scotland, New Zealand and Samoa.
The home team, NZ U20, into the semis thanks to Wales' win over France after they defeated Scotland to set up another mouthwatering clash with the Baby Boks in Albany.
Petersen said he and his teammates will have to be calm and focus on executing their game plan when they face the Baby Blacks for the second time in two weeks at the same venue.
"We are working hard in training to be as well prepared as we can be for Sunday," Petersen said.
"For us it will be important to stay calm and to focus our game plan and structures. We know NZ will come hard at us and it will be another tough match to play," said Petersen.
The EP Kings speedster, a South African junior athlete at schoolboy level, missed out on playing at the JWC last year in France because of a hamstring injury.
After three matches so far in Auckland, he said the standard of play at the competition is "extremely tough".
"The intensity and the pace of play are very high and demanding on each player."
South Africa host New Zealand in Albany at 19.35 (07.35 GMT; 09.35 SA time) on Sunday.
England and Ireland play in the first semifinal at 17.05 (05.05 GMT; 06.05 BST).
