Cape Town - Junior Springbok captain Salmaan Moerat said his team was excited to get going on their UK tour shortly after the team’s arrival in Edinburgh on Tuesday.
The team wasted no time getting into the swing of things, as they immediately headed to the gym for a high-intensity activation session.
Coach Chean Roux’s charges will face Scotland on Friday in their opening tour match, which will be followed by clashes against Wales in Cardiff on Tuesday, 8 May, and England in London on Friday, 11 May.
The tour forms part of the team’s preparations for the World Rugby U20 Championship, which will be hosted in the south of France from 30 May to 17 June.
“It’s first things first after landing in the UK,” said Moerat. “We will go through our recovery processes to get over the flight and get ready for the first game.
“That said, there is a general feeling of excitement among the players, as we are all looking forward to the tour and the experience of playing in the UK.”
The captain expected a challenging tour, but he said they planned to take each match in their stride.
“Each team we are facing is a quality side in their own right,” said Moerat, who is also a former SA Schools captain. “We are facing Scotland first, so we will focus on that match for now, and take it step by step.
“In saying that the Scottish are renowned for a good scrum and maul, so we will do our homework on all the teams we face and hopefully it will go well.”
With all three teams participating in the World Rugby U20 Championship and coming off a U20 Six Nations campaign, Moerat said the experience of facing these sides on their home turf would be invaluable with an eye on the international spectacle in the south of France.
“Playing overseas is massive for our preparation going forward,” he said. “It will give us time to adapt to the climate and conditions, and to get a feel of the style of rugby the northern hemisphere teams’ play. So hopefully we can adjust very quickly and tick the boxes that we need to.”
The team will have their first field training session on Wednesday.
