Jurenzo Julius says the inaugural U20 Rugby Championship in Australia will help the Junior Springboks close the gap on their Six Nations rivals.
The Junior Springboks departed for Australia on Wednesday for the U20 tournament which features the best junior talent from the Sanzaar nations – South Africa, Argentina, New Zealand and Australia.
The Queensland-based tournament will be a crucial part of the Junior Boks’ preparations for the U20 World Championship, to be held in Cape Town once again between 29 June and 19 July.
France and Ireland contested last year’s final, as the northern hemisphere teams looked far better prepared after playing in the U20 Six Nations.
In an interview with Sunday newspaper Rapport, Sharks back Julius – one of five returning Junior Boks from last year’s bronze medal campaign – said the the U20 Rugby Championship would be vital in helping the team improve their performances at the U20 World Championship.
“If you look at England, the French and all the Six Nations teams, they already get a good idea of what ‘Test’ rugby is like at our level months before the World Cup,” Julius told Rapport.
“We usually just go straight to the World Championship. For us it was definitely a negative thing, because our first experience of ‘Test’ rugby is there.”
The Junior Boks will open their campaign against New Zealand on Thursday.
“We’re actually looking forward to the first game probably being the biggest one,” Julius said. “Then everyone is still fresh and it’s the best against the best, because then there are no injuries either.”
Photo: Roger Sedres/Gallo Images/World Rugby
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Src: sarugbymag.co.za
