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Otago Daily Times
10 hours ago
- Sport
- Otago Daily Times
Ill-discipline costly for U20 Kiwis in final
A first-half red card proved the undoing of the New Zealand Under 20 team, beaten 23-15 by South Africa in the World Championship final in Italy. Prop Sika Pole had his marching orders after 23 minutes for a clumsy high shot on Junior Boks loose forward JJ Theron, initially given a yellow card that was swiftly upgraded to red in Rovigo on Saturday (local time). Even though it was a 20-minute red card under tournament rules, and the South Africans found themselves down to 14 just before halftime with a yellow card, it proved to be a real turning point in the game. In New Zealand's first final in seven years, Pole leaving the field meant that he had to be replaced by another front rower, so influential loose forward Mosese Bason had to head off too for the 20-minute period. The South Africans struck early through a lineout drive try after only four minutes, converted from the sideline by classy first five-eighth Vusi Moyo. The difference in doctrine between the two sides was evident, as the New Zealanders seemed intent to run the ball while the South Africans favoured a heavy kicking game. Jayden Sa struck back for the Kiwis with a slick try off a sneaky lineout move after 16 minutes, before Moyo kicked a couple of penalties to make the score 13-5 at halftime. A very long period of attack by New Zealand after the break saw them batter the Junior Boks' line, but they couldn't crack it and had to settle for a Rico Simpson penalty. Moyo cancelled that out with a long range penalty off a scrum penalty after 56 minutes. The Junior Boks' scrum proved to be the decisive factor in the second half, as the big South Africans dominated the New Zealanders. Halfback Haashim Pead looked to have scored off the back of a big shove but it was disallowed, however by then it was obvious New Zealand would need something special after being pinned in their own half. They had one chance after an excellent turnover by Eli Oudenryn with 12 minutes to go, but the replacement hooker went from hero to zero at the subsequent attacking lineout with a crooked throw and then getting penalised for backchatting to the referee. Another yellow card, to lock Xavier Treacy, and a late try to Junior Bok fullback Gilermo Mentoe sealed their fate as time ran out. The Kiwis managed to grab a consolation try in a frantic last couple of minutes - but it was too little, too late, The Junior Boks secured their first World Championship win since 2012, snapping a Northern Hemisphere grip on the title dating back to 2018.
The Citizen
4 days ago
- Sport
- The Citizen
OPINION: Junior Bok talent bodes well for the future of the Springboks
The Junior Boks and Junior All Blacks are the only two unbeaten teams in the competition and will contest the World Rugby U20 Champs final in Italy on Saturday. Junior Bok utility forward Bathobele Hlekani has enjoyed a strong World Rugby U20 Championship and is one of the players to watch for the future. Picture: Emmanuele Ciancaglini/) Some serious talent is rising through the ranks of the Junior Springboks, with a number of potential future stars on show at the World Rugby U20 Championship in Italy, and that can only bode well for the future of the Springboks. The Junior Boks have been in scintillating form and have swept all before them on their way to their first final appearance in 11 years, where they will face fierce Southern Hemisphere rivals, the All Blacks U20s. It has been an impressive campaign for the Junior Boks, with them hammering Australia (73-17) and Scotland (73-14), while beating defending champs England (32-22) in the pool face to cruise into the semifinals. Up against fellow Southern Hemisphere rivals Argentina they showed their class by clinching a comfortable 48-24 win despite being heavily penalised and not at their best, to reach their first final since 2014 (when they were edged by England 21-20). The New Zealand U20s got off to a slow start against Italy, winning 14-5, but have since stepped it up with wins over Georgia (39-18), Ireland (69-22), and France (34-26) to reach their first final since 2017 (when they defeated England). It is thus all set up for a blockbuster final, and a repeat of the 2012 final in South Africa, the only other time they have met in the trophy match, with the Junior Boks emerging as 22-16 winners on that occasion. A number of Junior Bok players will be aiming to impress, and based on current form have bright futures ahead of them. 2012 heroes They will also be hoping to follow in the footsteps of some of their 2012 heroes, like Pieter-Steph du Toit, Handre Pollard and Steven Kitshoff, who have all gone on to become double Springbok World Cup winners. Others also found considerable success, with Jan Serfontein, Dillyn Leyds, Raymond Rhule and Travis Ismaiel all becoming Springboks, while Paul Willemse (France), Oli Kebble (Scotland) and Braam Steyn (Italy), also became internationals for other nations. A number of the Junior Bok class of 2025 have shown they have the talent to make the step up. Electrifying scrumhalf Haashim Pead has been brilliant and must be one of the contenders for player of the tournament, and currently leads the try scoring charts with six tries, while he has also made four try assists. Flyhalf Vusi Moyo is the leading points scorer with 50 points, and his unerring boot has been impressive over the tournament. Captain Riley Norton is a dual sport star, having captained the SA U19 cricket team at last year's U19 World Cup, and having chosen rugby, with him contracted to the Stormers, and he will hope to lead his side to U20 glory. Other players that have also impressed for the Junior Boks include utility forward Bhatobele Hlekani, outside backs Cheswill Jooste and Gilermo Mentoe, centre Albie Bester and loose forward Xola Nyali among others. Whether they will be able to make the step up to the big leagues remains to be seen, but they have certainly proved they have the talent, and another big effort in helping their team clinch the U20 champs title will be another step in the right direction.
TimesLIVE
5 days ago
- Sport
- TimesLIVE
Junior Boks book first U-20 world champs final spot since 2014
The Junior Springboks booked their spot in the final of the World Rugby U20 Championship, having to work hard for their 48-24 semifinal victory (half time 28-10) over Argentina on a hot and humid Stadio Luigi Zaffanella in Viadana in Italy on Monday night. Six tries to three tells a story of its own, but it was far from a perfect performance and the South African U-20s will realise they have a lot of hard work ahead before Saturday's decider, with their discipline one of the areas that will need attention. It's the Junior Boks' first final in the competition since 2014, and while they showed true grit on defence against a gutsy Argentina, the two yellow cards and 16 penalties conceded will need attention as they prepare to face New Zealand in Rovigo on Saturday evening. The Baby Blacks beat France in their semifinal. The semifinal started like two boxers feeling each other out, trading jabs but not inflicting much damage, until the Junior Boks exploded into life with two heavy body blows in two minutes. From a scrum free-kick close the Pumitas' try line, scrumhalf Haashim Pead took a quick tap, attacked the space and put centre Albie Bester away for the first try of the match in the ninth minute, with flyhalf Vusi Moyo adding the extras. From the restart, Pead finished after barnstorming flanker Batho Hlekani burst through the Argentinian defence and fed No 8 Wandile Mlaba, who made good ground before he put the quicksilver scrumhalf away for his sixth try of the tournament. Moyo's conversion made it 14-0 and in a blink, the Junior Boks had taken control. Argentina clawed three points back with a 14th minute penalty goal, but shortly thereafter wing Jaco Williams scored a fortuitous try after chasing a clever chip by Moyo into space, with the bounce beating the Pumitas cover into the hands of the South African speedster. Moyo converted and at 21-3, the Junior Boks were firmly in control. Six minutes later it was 28-3 as lock JJ Theron drove over from short range after a strong line-out drive by the South Africans. But Argentina clawed their way back into the game, as the South Africans started to make mistakes and conceding penalties that saw the momentum swing. When prop Simphiwe Ngobese was yellow-carded for a professional foul, the Pumitas took their chance and scored their first try, by Agustín Garcia Campos from a line-out drive, to make it 28-10 at the break. Argentina started the second half on the front foot and as Junior Bok coach Kevin Foote brought on a five-forward Bomb Squad, the Pumitas scored their second try, by wing Timoteo Silva to make it an 11-point game with half an hour to go. The Junior Bok replacements started to come into the game as two Moyo penalty goals followed by Bester's second try, from a midfield turnover after a good run by his midfield partner Demitre Erasmus, increased South Africa's lead to 41-17 on the hour mark. Forced to defend for most of the final 20 minutes, the Junior Boks did very well to keep waves of Argentinian attacks at bay, and though the Pumitas' replacement back Ramon Fernandez Miranda scored in the 73rd minute, it wasn't enough. The South Africans showed glimpses of what they can do though as they closed the game out with a superb try by wing Cheswill Jooste, which started on their own try line, to ensure their title aspirations remain alive with one game to go in Italy. Scorers
The South African
5 days ago
- Sport
- The South African
Junior Springboks to take on arch-rivals in World Rugby U20 Championship final
The Junior Springboks booked their spot in the final of the World Rugby U20 Championship, but they had to work hard for their 48-24 victory (half-time 28-10) over Argentina on a hot and humid Monday evening at the Stadio Luigi Zaffanella in Viadana. Six tries to three tells a story of its own, but it was far from a perfect performance and the SA U20s will realise they have a lot of hard work ahead before Saturday's decider, with their discipline one of the areas that will need attention. It's the Junior Boks' first final in the competition since 2014, and while they showed true grit on defence against a gutsy Argentinean team, the two yellow cards and 16 penalties conceded will need attention as they prepare to face New Zealand in Rovigo on Saturday evening. The game started like two boxers feeling each other out, trading jabs but not inflicting much damage, until the Junior Boks exploded into life with two heavy body blows in two minutes. From a scrum free kick close the Pumitas' tryline, Haashim Pead (scrumhalf) took a quick tap, attacked the space and put Albie Bester (centre) away for the first try of the match in the ninth minute, with Vusi Moyo (flyhalf) adding the extras. From the restart, Pead finished after barnstorming flanker Batho Hlekani bust through the Argentinean defence, fed Wandile Mlaba (No 8) who made good ground before he put the quicksilver scrumhalf away for his sixth try of the tournament. Moyo's conversion made it 14-0 and in a blink, the Junior Boks had taken control. Argentina clawed three points back with a 14th minute penalty goal, but shortly thereafter Jaco Williams (wing) scored a fortuitous try after chasing a clever chip by Moyo into space, with the bounce beating the Pumitas cover into the hands of the South African speedster. Moyo converted and at 21-3, the Junior Boks were firmly in control. Six minutes later it was 28-3 as JJ Theron (lock) drove over from short range after a strong lineout drive by the South Africans. But Argentina were not outdone and slowly clawed their way back into the game, as the South Africans started to make mistakes and conceding penalties which saw the momentum swing. When prop Simphiwe Ngobese was yellow-carded for a professional foul, the Pumitas took their chance and scored their first try of the match, by Agustín Garcia Campos (No 8) from a lineout drive, to make it 28-10 at the break. Argentina started the second half on the front foot and as Junior Bok coach Kevin Foote brought on a five-forward Bomb Squad, the Pumitas scored their second try, by wing Timoteo Silva, to make it an 11-point game with half an hour to go. The Junior Bok replacements started to come into the game as two Moyo penalty goals followed by Bester's second try, from a midfield turnover after a good run by his midfield partner Demitre Erasmus, increased South Africa's lead to 41-17 on the hour mark. Forced to defend for most of the final 20 minutes, the Junior Boks did very well to keep wave after wave of Argentinean attacks at bay, and although the Pumitas' replacement back Ramon Fernandez Miranda scored in the 73rd minute, it wasn't enough. The South Africans showed glimpses of what they can do though as they closed the game out with a superb try by Cheswill Jooste (wing), which started on their own tryline, to ensure their title aspirations remain alive with one game to go in Italy. In the earlier semi-final, New Zealand beat France 34-26. Tries: Albie Bester (2), Haashim Pead, Jaco Williams, JJ Theron, Cheswill Jooste Conversions: Vusi Moyo (5), Dominic Malgas Penalties: Moyo (2) Tries: Agustín Garcia Campos, Timoteo Silva, Ramon Fernandez Miranda Conversions: Rafael Benedit (2), Pascal Senillosa Penalty: Benedit Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
IOL News
10-07-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
Junior Springboks face tough selection choices ahead of U20 Championship semi-final against Argentina
Junior Bok outside centre Gino Cupido tries to avoid the tackle of Scotland winger, South African Cameron van Wyk, during the final World Rugby U20 Championship pool match on Wednesday in Italy. Image: Sabrina Conforti / World Rugby The Junior Springboks will face off against Argentina when the two Southern Hemisphere sides meet in the semi-finals of the World Rugby U20 Championship on Monday evening in Italy. After a flawless group stage, the South African U20s progressed as the top-ranked side to the playoffs, while the Junior Pumas snuck in as the fourth side after finishing with more points than former champions England. On Wednesday, the Junior Boks completed their second 70-plus point victory after drubbing Scotland 73-14, scoring 11 tries in the process. They beat Australia in the opening round 73-17 and tackled their way to a 32-22 win over the English. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ Ad loading Now, a rematch against the Pumitas awaits after the two sides played out a thrilling encounter during the U20 Rugby Championship earlier this year. South Africa won that game and will bank on that momentum and their unbeaten form to steer them to another victory. After making several changes to the side, head coach Kevin Foote was pleased that the players didn't slack on their intensity. They continued where they left off against the Aussies and England and kept Scotland under pressure for most of the match. 'It will be a very difficult job and will be hard to leave guys out,' Foote said of selecting a side for the semis after the performance of all the players. And then there were four 🙌 Who are you backing to become #WorldRugbyU20s champions? 🤔 — World Rugby (@WorldRugby) July 9, 2025 'That was a mature effort (against Scotland), and our squad is in a good place. I thought our back row was excellent around the breakdown. Some of those tries were great, and most of them were because of the work done at the breakdown and the massive effort upfront, which gave the boys such a good platform. And when they got the space in front of them, they really were exciting on the attack. 'The guys are a humble bunch, and immediately after the game in the change room, they were happy, but there was a real purpose amongst them to move onto the next job.' While resting key players, Foote will now have to juggle his selection as he brings back players like captain Riley Norton, his lock partner JJ Theron, scrumhalf Haashim Pead, who scored another try coming off the bench, and outside centre Demitre Erasmus.
