The short tour of three matches – one against a local club side and two internationals against their Georgian counterparts – will commence on 16 February when the tour party of 30 players fly out from Cape Town to Europe.

Thursday’s session against the FNB Varsity Cup group of Maties followed on two weeks of training at their Stellenbosch Academy of Sport base, with the forwards focussing especially on key set-piece aspects such as scrums, lineouts and mauling, while the backs sharpened their attacking skills and defensive capabilities.

Junior Springbok assistant coaches Lumumba Currie (forwards) and Melusi Mthethwa (backline and attack), both mentioned afterwards they were pleased with the U20 Academy group’s progress so far, as well as the important hit-out against the more experienced Maties.

According to Currie, there were a lot of positive aspects from especially a forwards’ perspective: “It was pleasing to see a number of good pictures in how we are implementing the fundamentals and the style we wanting to play.

“The good thing about such an exercise (against Maties) is that it gives you a good indication of the implementation of your technical application and your tactical plan. When we are done with the two training matches, we will have a good indication of our progress and what we need to work on before we depart to Georgia.”

The SA U20 Academy squad on the attack against Maties.

Mthethwa also emphasised the sharp focus on playing the South African way: “It’s very important for us to go back to our DNA. We have strong boys, but you need the right technique for us to be able to play that way.

“Our kicking game is vital and, in that respect, it’s important for our players to know how to release pressure and when to absorb pressure, because at this level it’s a pressure game.

“The boys have been doing well in adapting to our training methods and game plans, because it’s obviously different from where they all come from. Striking the right balance will be important, doing the right things in the right areas of the game and then applying the pressure through our attack.

“I want to thank Maties for the playing opportunity. We had a very good workout, and I think we did some good things, scoring a couple of tries, which are pleasing. So next week we have another chance to gain valuable game time on the field, which is important for our preparations.”

The squad will have a recovery day on Friday and then resume preparations over the weekend.