Junior Springboks face New Zealand in U20 Championship final as 'well prepared' team - Kevin Foote, coach

CapeTalk's Lester Kiewit speaks to Junior Springboks coach Kevin Foote.

Listen below:

The Junior Springboks have named an unchanged matchday 23 for Saturday (19 July) evening’s highly anticipated World Rugby U20 Championship final against New Zealand in Rovigo, Italy.

Kick off is at 8:30 pm.

The South Africa U20s have been in dominant form throughout the tournament, notching convincing wins over Australia, reigning champions England, and Scotland in the group stages, before edging out a determined Argentina in a tense semi-final on Monday.

Lock Riley Norton will once again captain a settled side that has remained largely consistent through the campaign, including the semi-final triumph.

With no changes to the lineup, the Junior Boks will stick with a 6-2 bench split, six forwards and two backs, as they prepare for what promises to be a fierce showdown between two southern hemisphere powerhouses.

Saturday’s final marks South Africa’s first appearance in the U20 Championship decider since 2014. It also echoes the 2012 final, when the Junior Boks famously beat New Zealand at Newlands in Cape Town to claim the title.

Foote says the team is 'well prepared' and ready to play 'with the whole country' in their hearts.

"We're well prepared and we play with the whole country in our hearts. We've got such talent in our country, and it's an awesome showcase for us to be in the World Cup now representing South Africa, so a game against the All Blacks is always the ultimate, so just to be playing in the final and representing South Africa is all the hype we need."

- Kevin Foote, Coach - Junior Springboks

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Scroll up to the audio player to listen to the full conversation.