Preview: U20 World Cup play-offs
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South Africa face England and New Zealand are up against France in the semifinals of the Under-20 World Cup on Monday.
The clash between the Junior Boks and the defending champions will be a replay of last year's final, but England only managed to sneak into the semifinals this year after losing to France.
It was the squad’s first defeat since the opening game of the Six Nations but coach Jon Callard has been pleased with the positive response of the players.
“It was a disappointing game but the attitude and bounce back has been first class,” he said.
“There is a renewed energy and ambition in the group and, while the format of this competition is demanding, it does mean that within a matter of days we have the opportunity to put right what we didn’t do against France."
Although they are up against the top-ranked South African side, the England coach is upbeat about his team's prospects.
“Every year is different,” added Callard. “This is a new group of players and this is their chance to show what they are capable of. It is both a privilege and an honour for them to be in the same bracket as South Africa, France and New Zealand, but we need to put in performances that prove we have the right to be there.
“We have watched South Africa extensively and they are a forward orientated side, with good halfbacks that can move the team around the field well, and they have an electric back three. This is why we come to these tournaments – you want to play against the best, to learn and develop through challenging fixtures. We are excited about the proposition that is ahead of us,” he added.
Junior Boks head coach Dawie Theron believes his team are closer to reaching their peak and are in the right frame of mind for the tie.
"The guys are in a good space at the moment. We had all 28 available to be selected," said Theron.
"The guys worked really hard over the last three weeks since we arrived in Italy and their is a great upward curve. We did make two changes to the team. One in the starting line-up and one on the bench."
The two changes sees Rikus Bothma come in for Jacques Vermeulen, while Malcom Jaer replaces Grant Hermanus on the Bench. Theron believes is a more than capable of holding his own against the English.
"I always said that we need to manage the squad and that is what we have been doing in the last three games because we know there is a lot of physical pressure on the bodies.
"Jacques did really well for us against Australia. He did get tired in the last ten to 15 minutes and we need another guy at six who can play through. We brought in Rikus Bothma and we feel that he can do the job against England," Theron added.
There will be a full fixture list in Italy on Monday as all the teams battle it out for final positions. Hosts Italy face Argentina and Samoa are up against Japan in the ninth place semifinals, and in the fifth place semifinals Ireland take on Wales and Australia play Scotland.
Schedule (kick-off is local time – GMT plus two hours)
Monday, June 15
Argentina v Italy – Viadana (16.30)
Australia v Scotland – Calvisano (16.30)
New Zealand v France – Calvisano (18.30)
Samoa v Japan – Viadana (18.30)
Ireland v Wales – Viadana (20.30)
South Africa v England – Calvisano (20.30)
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