The Junior Springboks will have a final opportunity to prepare for their Junior World Championship title defence when the U20 teams of Georgia, Fiji, and Chile visit Cape Town for a new International Series, featuring three double-header match days.
The action will play out at City Park in Cape Town towards the end of May, and for Junior Bok head coach Kevin Foote and his assistants, this will be a final opportunity to fine-tune his squad for the global showpiece, which kicks off a month later at the end of June in Georgia.
“We know game time out on the field in actual matches is crucial as we prepare for the Junior World Championship, and we are truly grateful for this opportunity,” said Foote.
“All the players in our wider squad will be considered for these matches, and apart from game time, we would like to work on combinations as we build up towards the trip to Georgia in June.
“We’re also excited to build on our relationships with the three visiting nations. We’re in the same JWC pool as Georgia, while Fiji will no doubt also use this opportunity to fine-tune their preparations for the tournament.
“Chile is one of the up-and-coming junior teams, and they will host the World Rugby U20 Challenger Cup this year, so I’m sure they will be eager to impress on home soil.”
The Junior Boks are currently preparing for the U20 Rugby Championship in Gqeberha, where they will face the U20 sides of Argentina, Australia, and New Zealand for southern hemisphere supremacy.
U20 International Series fixtures (all at City Park in Cape Town, kick-off times TBC):
Thursday, 21 May:
Georgia vs Fiji
South Africa vs Chile
Tuesday, 26 May:
Chile vs Georgia
South Africa vs Fiji
Sunday, 31 May:
Fiji vs Chile
South Africa vs Georgia