Southern teams ‘struggling’ against dominant North, admits Junior Boks coach

Junior Springboks coach Bafana Nhleko has conceded that the Northern Hemisphere nations have become the dominant force in the junior international rugby ranks.

In the current World Rugby U-20 Championship happening in Cape Town there are three sides from the North and one from the South fighting it out for the final podium places this week.

The Junior Boks are holding the fort for the Southern Hemisphere; they will take on England on Friday in the third–fourth place playoff match at Athlone Stadium, while France and Ireland will contest the final at the same venue.

Nhleko’s side, who were knocked out of the running by Ireland on Sunday afternoon in their semi-final, also suffered a shock 34-29 defeat at the hands of Italy at the tournament.

That result, and how France and Ireland have been dominant, proved to be an indicator of the progress the European nations have undergone in the last couple of seasons.

“We have seen the dominance of the Northern Hemisphere teams in this competition, and over the last few years the South has really struggled,” Nhleko said.

Southern hopes

The Junior Boks mentor acknowledged that they now carry the hopes of the Southern Hemisphere nations as New Zealand, Australia and Argentina all crashed out of contention before the semi-finals.

“I suppose we carry the hopes of the Southern Hemisphere to get onto the podium,” said Nhleko.

“The fact that there is a third position we can fight for, not just for ourselves but from a Southern Hemisphere point of view, is a good thing.”

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Nhleko has urged his charges to forget about Sunday’s heart-crushing 32-12 semi-final loss to Ireland and shift their focus to England.

“We have to look forward to England, they’re next and just like us they’re probably hurting as well; so it’s important for us to try and put this (Ireland) loss behind us as quickly as possible,” said Nhleko.

“It’s important for us to finish third, it’s important for a number of reasons. I think historically it’s a position we have to fight for … now that it’s the next best thing we can do.

“We’ll do everything we can do to make sure we are part of those teams that have finished third and restore some pride in our campaign.”