Head coach Kevin Foote says the Junior Springboks are battle-ready as they wrap up preparations for the World Rugby U20 Championship kicking off next week in Italy.

The Junior Boks open their campaign on Sunday, 29 June against Australia in Calvisano, before they face England on 4 July in Rovigo, with their final pool fixture on 9 July against Scotland.

Foote and his coaching staff are fine-tuning the SA U20 squad at the Stellenbosch Academy of Sport, with just a few more training sessions remaining before the squad fly out to their tournament base on Tuesday.

He shared some insights into their training regime, which included two sessions against Kenya’s senior men’s team last week. “We’ve had a massive focus on our work ethic in this final preparation block,” Foote said.

“We’ve put in some great sessions around our game model, and the players have been in great spirits despite the hard push.”

According to Foote, the hit-outs against Kenya provided his troops a chance to experience the physicality at every breakdown, maul, tackle and contest for the ball.

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“It was really awesome to play those two ‘games’,” he said. “They were great match preparation, giving our guys more game time together and helping build synergy and relationships between players.

“It was a good test for our young men. Now, it’s all about building confidence in the squad.”

Meanwhile, Vodacom Bulls lock Jaco Grobbelaar joined up with the group on Wednesday following the Pretoria-based franchise completion of their URC campaign over the past weekend.

“We are all very happy to welcome Jaco back into the squad and the players gave him a nice reception earlier today,” said Foote.

“He has that experience of playing for the Junior Boks last year, and he brings that and some URC experience with him, which is great for us. We are looking forward to working with him over the next couple of days as he settles into the squad.”

Photo: @SAJuniorRugby/Twitter