South Africa are World Rugby Under 20 Champions for the second time, overcoming New Zealand 23-15 at Stadio Mario Battaglini in Rovigo.
There are no doubts about the Junior Springboks’ supremacy in Italy. They won every match, scoring more points (249) and tries (34) than any of the other twelve countries in the tournament.
The final was a fiercely contested battle, with a courageous New Zealand side refusing to back down against a powerful Junior Springboks outfit. Workhorse South African captain Riley Norton ploughed through 24 tackles and was overwhelmed by the outcome.
“This is the greatest day of my life,” the lock said. “Set pieces, mauls, scrums, hits – this is where South Africa gets its energy from. It’s our DNA. We came out and gave it everything. New Zealand never backs down. To play them in the final is very special.”
New Zealand captain Manumaua Letiu acknowledged South Africa’s dominance: “It was a tough game for the boys. Big ups to South Africa. They came here ready for a big fight, dominating us in the collisions. We couldn’t set up our attack effectively. We knew what was coming. We knew they’d come firing, and they did.”
South Africa’s steamroller maul roared to life just three minutes in, as an authoritative eight-man shove propelled blindside Xola Nyali over the line for the first try.
New Zealand fought back, thanks to Taranaki lock Jayden Sai, who made two crucial lineout steals. A sustained period of possession put South Africa on the back foot, forcing them to make 59 tackles. Eventually, New Zealand capitalised when Sai scored from a lineout switch, with industrious openside flanker Caleb Woodley providing the final pass.
Disaster struck New Zealand in the 22nd minute when second-year prop Sika Pole received a red card for head-to-head contact. Although the loosehead prop could be replaced after 20 minutes, losing him was a massive blow. South Africa steadily applied scrum pressure, leading to numerous penalties in the second half.
In the 32nd minute, South African second-five Albie Bester was shown a yellow card for head contact during a ruck cleanout. Despite being briefly undermanned, South Africa was in control with Simphiwe Moyo kicking penalties in the 22nd and 36th minutes, bringing the halftime score to 13-5.
Typically, New Zealand avoided taking shots at goal, but first five-eighth Rico Simpson managed to kick a pivotal three-pointer in the 46th minute, narrowing the score to 13-8. Unfortunately, that would be their last points until a very late try from Maloni Kunawave.
South Africa squeezed the life out of New Zealand with their bullying set pieces and well-executed kicking strategy.
In the 57th minute, Simphiwe Moyo nailed a third penalty to extend the lead to 16-8. Five minutes later, Simpson found himself pinned in his goal area, and from a five-metre scrum, South African halfback Haashim Pead spotted a gap that was fortunately created when his opposite, Dylan Pledger, was obstructed.
A turnover by Eli Oudenryn gave New Zealand a lifeline with a penalty that advanced them into the South African 22, but an error closed that door. New Zealand’s lock Xavier Tracey was yellow-carded in the 71st minute for dragging down a maul. In the 77th minute, Pead cross-kicked for unmarked fullback Guillermo Mentoe, effectively ending New Zealand’s chances.
New Zealand’s struggle to make progress on attack was illustrated by their top carrier, Simpson, who gained only 38 metres despite South Africa’s hefty tackling tally of 168 compared to 129. Letiu led the tackle count for New Zealand with 13, followed by Tracey with 12. For South Africa, openside Bathobele Hlekani had a huge impact with 11 tackles and nine carries.
The Junior Springboks previously defeated New Zealand 22-16 in the 2012 final. In that game senior Rugby World Cup winners Steven Kitshoff (83 Tests, 50 wins), Handre Pollard (82 Tests, 797 points, 52 wins), Pieter Steph du Toit (89 Tests, 61 wins), and Damian Willemse (40 Tests, 27 wins) featured.
New Zealand Under 20: 15 (Jayden Sai; Maloni Kunawave tries; Rico Simpson pen, Will Cole con) South Africa Under 20: 23 (Xola Nyali, Gilermo Mentoe tries; Vusi Simphiwe Moyo 2 cons, 3 pens) HT: 5-13