Their win started off on a high as they secured a 20-7 lead in the first half. Going into the second half, continuing to fight for the win was important seeing that Georgia were also ready to make their mark.

Early into the second half Georgia came in strong and managed to close the gap to a 2-point deficit at 20-18. 

SuperSport reported that Junior Springboks coach, Bafana Nhleko, was happy with the team's win and was glad to get the tournament started on a positive note. 

“I am happy with the win,” head coach Nhleko said after the match. “Sometimes you have to be realistic with the fact that it won’t always be easy and even though you are at home, there are other factors. I am really happy with the win.”

Nhleko went on to say that he was most pleased with the team’s first-half performance, seeing that they secured a big lead and where they matched the Georgian’s set-piece. The second half saw them continue the fight despite losing momentum after losing a player to the sin bin.

Work-ons were definitely identified in the game and these will be taken into consideration heading into their second pool game this week against Italy.

Nhleko stated; “The biggest thing is to get the boys fresh for Thursday because it is such a short turnaround.”

The current defending champions France, as well as Argentina, Australia and New Zealand each managed to open their tournament campaigns with a win. 

The tournament is set to continue on Thursday, the 29th of June with the second round of pool matches. In Stellenbosch, Wales and Japan meet in their Pool A clash at 14:00, in Pool C, Argentina will tackle Georgia at 16:30 and England meet Fiji at 19:00.

Meanwhile, in Paarl, Pool B sees a clash between Australia and Ireland at 11:00. Thereafter,  France and New Zealand take to the field in a Pool A clash at 13:30 and the Boks will tackle Italy in Pool C at 4pm. 

Kayla Barker/OFM Sport