Springbok captain Siya Kolisi blown away by Junior Bok intensity

Springbok captain Siya Kolisi blown away by Junior Bok intensity

Veteran Springbok Siya Kolisi heaped praise on the high standard the Junior Springboks have brought into the senior setup.

Rassie Erasmus has included three Junior Boks in his squad for the upcoming Nations Champions Cup match against England, with Jaco Williams, Riley Norton and Vusi Moyo in line for potential Springboks debuts despite still being eligible for Kevin Foote's side that kicks off their World Rugby Junior World Championship title defence against Uruguay.

The trio were crucial to the success last year and, despite having limited minutes under their belts for their respective franchises (Norton, in fact, has none), have impressed the Bok coaching team.

The back-to-back World Cup-winning captain also passed perhaps some poor financial advice to the rookies, who will be earning a pretty penny by simply being in the squad. "I'm telling them to spend it," Kolisi laughed earlier this week when asked what he has advised the youngsters to spend the next earnings on.

The Springboks trained with many of the Junior Boks ahead of the June 20 double-header at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium and the youngsters certainly impressed the skipper, who praised the work done by Foote and SA Rugby GM Dave Wessels.

"When we were training with the U20s group that joined us, the intensity was really high because they are fearless and they don't know what the limit is," Kolisi said.

"So, it was really good for us as a team. So, it's really been exciting, and leadership is not only on me; there are many guys in the group that take control too. It's really been going really well, and it's been amazing to see the standard that the U20s are working at.

"Coach Kevin Foote is doing a really great job with them, and I'm looking forward to seeing what they're going to do at the World Cup."

Kolisi added that the group is well led by the coaching team who have integrated the youngsters in but said that it is important that the more experienced players in the team now pass on their knowledge to the newbies. "It's been really good," he added.

"Everything starts at the top, and we are well led. The biggest thing for the team, what is most important, for us who have been here for quite long now, is to make sure that we pass on as much information as we can when we're not training, when we're sitting in the hotel.

"Making sure guys are getting up to standard because we never know who's going to play or who's going to be needed, and the energy they bring to the team is really amazing."

READ MORE: Primed for greatness: Springbok mentor acknowledges aura of Junior Bok Riley Norton