Junior Boks assistant coach Bafana Nhleko says the team needs to improve before its next U20 Championship match against Ireland on Sunday.

The SA U20s got their campaign off to a nervous start, needing a second-half fightback to get a nailbiting 33-27 win against Georgia.

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Nhleko admits that the team was well off its best and that will need to change against Ireland, who will be desperate for a win after losing their opener to France.

‘The most important thing is that we got the result against Georgia,’ Nhleko said. ‘It was obviously not how we wanted to play, especially the way we started in the first half with the handling errors and some disciplinary issues that might have let us down. But we still left a lot of opportunities out there.

‘That said, it is something we can learn from going forward.

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‘Ireland will be very desperate,’ he added. ‘They lost by two points yesterday. But we were not at our best against Georgia either, so we need to make a massive step-up.

‘In a sense, it is going to be a semi-final for one side and a final for the other because every game is important in this tournament. And how a team moves on with a short turnaround means a lot.’

WATCH: Highlights of Junior Boks vs Georgia

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