Mzwandile Stick reflects on performance of young SA 'A' team against Zimbabwe

Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium was the colosseum and the SA players the gladiators as they put their opposition to the sword in a spectacle of tries in Saturday's double-header.

A talented SA 'A' taking on Zimbabwe was the perfect curtain-raiser for the Springboks. Stick's team was stacked with Junior Springboks, many running out against seniors for the first time. But they stood tall on defence and ran in six tries in the 40-0 rout.

"We knew it was going to be a big challenge because the majority of our team hadn't played together," Stick told the press.

"It was a new team. Zimbabwe also tried to give us challenges. They kept ball in hand and that's one of the things I enjoyed most about them.

"For me, the goal was to see if the players can almost like play Test-match rugby, during practice, the first few weeks were all about control and balance to see if our game drivers could control the game, so that's why it is at times frustrating when you're not getting the points, you know.

"There were two times in the first half where we were just unlucky - the first time the player went into touch, and then the second time a player was in front of the kicker, so that didn't show on the scoreboard."

It was a big week for several of the Junior Boks. In the lead up the the season opener, a number of youngsters were included in the 53-man training camp in Johannesburg. Now rubbing shoulders in the gym with seasoned veterans and double World Cup winners, some were awestruck. But Stick revealed Bok management made them comfortable in the end.

"I think it was good for the players who joined our system for the first time," he added.

"We had two weeks in Joburg and that is never easy, even when you try to do something in the gym, you struggle, but we really pushed them hard in camp and the lot of the youngsters started to hold back where they get nervous around the older guys, but we tried to empower them to be themselves and we saw some of those brilliant moments today [Saturday].

"We may not have played the best rugby out there, but you could see some of them were looking for those opportunities. Mentally and physically, we were up there; the forwards were challenged, but some of our forwards stuck out there. They should be proud of it."

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