Author: saru

DHL Western Province powered past South Western Districts to win the final match of the FNB U18 Craven Week in Middelburg while the Blue Bulls, Obaro Golden Lions and Free State finished their respective campaigns on a high.

The FNB Youth Weeks programme came to an eventful conclusion on Saturday, with all 16 teams featuring in the final round of the FNB U18 Craven Week tournament staged at Hoërskool Middelburg.

WP finished the week with three victories, while the Bulls, Sanlam Boland, Lions, Leopards, Free State, Suzuki Griquas and Hollywood Foundation Pumas were among the winners on the final day of the competition.

The battle between WP and SWD was fiercely contested, with the Eagles drawing first blood. Province responded with tries from fullback Jaden Ocks, captain Josh Neill – who was named the Player of the Tournament – and No 8 Quintin Potgieter to take a 17-9 lead into the break.

SWD clawed their way back after WP were shown a yellow card early in the second half. Eagles prop Kai Prat scored during this period, while flyhalf Virgil Pockpas added the conversion to reduce the deficit to 13 points.

The Eagles scored again right before full time, but WP managed to secure a 27-21 victory and yet another unbeaten campaign.

Earlier in the day, the Bulls thrashed Eastern Province 76-24, with wing Thabiso Simelane, centre Dylan Stumke and flanker Elwin Jansen Van Vuuren scoring two tries apiece. Simelane went on to finish the tournament as the leading try-scorer (six).

The Lions dominated the first half of their match against the Western Province XV, before the Cape side hit back in the second stanza. After leading 17-7 at the break, the Gauteng outfit hung on for a 27-26 victory.

Free State controlled the contest against the Sharks High Schools, who struggled with their discipline. Flyhalf Darius Erwee kept the scoreboard ticking, while hooker Marinus Oosthuizen scored two tries to steer the boys from Bloemfontein to a convincing 34-12 win.

In other fixtures, the Leopards produced one of the most dominant performances of the day, scoring eight tries in a 54-7 rout of the Limpopo Blue Bulls, Griquas edged the Valke 26-19, and the Pumas were too good for Border, winning by 48-12.

 FNB U18 Craven Week day five results (Saturday, 12 July):

EP 24 (17) Bulls 76 (26)

Sanlam Boland 38 (12) Griffons 36 (12)

Obaro Golden Lions 27 (17) DHL WP XV 26 (7)

Limpopo Blue Bulls 7 (0) Leopards 54 (40)

Sharks 12 (0) Free State 34 (13)

Suzuki Griquas 26 (12) Valke 19 (12)

Hollywood Foundation Pumas 48 (24) Border 12 (7)

DHL WP 27 (17) SWD 21 (9)

 Issued by SA Rugby Communications

After making a few rotational changes for their last Pool A match against Scotland, which the SA U20s won by 73-14 in Calvisano, Foote has selected mainly the same combination that defeated Australia and England in their first two group games.

For Monday’s important knockout match with Los Pumitas, Demitre Erasmus is back at outside centre after missing the England clash due to illness and coming off the bench against Scotland.

Jaco Williams is retained at left wing for his second start in a row since replacing Siya Ndlozi, who returned home with a hamstring injury sustained against England.

The Junior Bok pack remains the same as the combination that faced Australia and England, with Norton leading a starting team that have impressed with their physicality and ability to create plenty of scoring opportunities with their speedy outside backs.

However, Foote has opted for six forwards and two backs on the bench for the semi-final in a bid to use their explosive forwards and attack the Argentina pack, with No 8 Stephanus Linde now the extra forward among the replacements.

Foote said it was a tough task to select the team to face Argentina: “It was so difficult to leave out anybody because the players did so well against Scotland. My message to those who weren’t selected for the match-23 is to help us prepare the starting team as best as we can.”

According to Foote, Argentina’s forward prowess will be a huge test for the SA U20s, which is one of the reasons why he has decided to go with a six-two split on the bench.

“The Argentinians are very confrontational and physical, and they play with lots of passion,” he said. “We know we are in for a fight which is why we went for six forwards on the bench, because we have so much respect for them.”

The SA U20s are one of three southern hemisphere teams in the world championship semi-finals, alongside Argentina and New Zealand, who face France in their playoff at 18h00.

The Junior Boks’ match will kick off at 20h30 and will be broadcast live on SuperSport.

The Junior Springbok team to face Argentina in Viadana:

15 Gilermo Mentoe
14 Cheswill Jooste
13 Demitre Erasmus
12 Albie Bester
11 Jaco Williams
10 Vusi Moyo
9 Haashim Pead
8 Wandile Mlaba
7 Bathobele Hlekani
6 Xola Nyali
5 JJ Theron
4 Riley Norton (captain)
3 Herman Lubbe
2 Siphosethu Mnebelele
1 Simphiwe Ngobese

Replacements:

16 Jaundré Schoeman
17 Oliver Reid
18 Jean Erasmus
19 Jaco Grobbelaar
20 Matt Romao
21 Ceano Everson
22 Dominic Malgas
23 Stephanus Linde

Issued by SA Rugby Communications

Junior Springbok coach Kevin Foote praised his players for executing the game plan and playing with intensity after South Africa scored a runaway victory over Scotland in their final World Rugby U20 Championship Pool A game at the Stadio San Michele in Calvisano on Wednesday afternoon.

The Junior Boks completed the pool stage unbeaten after beating Australia, defending champions England and Scotland with bonus-point victories to finish top of their pool and top of the overall rankings and to secure their place in the semi-finals.

The South African Under-20 side delivered another clinical performance in their 73-14 victory over Scotland in the bright Italian summer sunshine, delighting the crowd with their powerful forward play and ability to attack from deep to score some brilliant tries.

Foote said afterwards he was happy with the score and proud of the team – especially since some of the players were playing the first time in the competition – as they executed the game plan and played with intensity.

“It was a mature effort and our squad is in a good place – I thought our back row were excellent around the breakdown.” Said Foote.

“They are a humble bunch and immediately after the game in the changeroom room they were happy, but there was a real purpose amongst them to move onto the next job.

“Some of those tries were great and most of them were as a result of the work done at the breakdown and massive effort upfront, which gave the boys such a good platform. And when they got the space in front of them, they really are exciting on attack.

“The support lines of the guys were excellent today. The whole team were just so clinical in how they went about it. Scotland were brave in the second half and hey held us up three times and stayed in the fight.”

On the question of team selection for the semi-final, Foote said: “It is a difficult problem to have and I keep on going on about the talent we have in the country. It will be a very difficult job and will be hard to leave guys out.”

Thando Biyela, the captain on the day, led by example and said afterwards it was a tough game, despite the convincing scoreline.

“It was a good win but a tough game,” said Biyela.

“I thought we started the game well and had a good opening 20 minutes, which set us up for the rest of the game. But I must give credit to Scotland who tested us in the second half.

“Of course there’s always room for improvement. We want to put in an 80-minute performance and play to our full potential.”

The three teams that will join the Junior Boks in the semi-finals will be confirmed once all the pool games have concluded. The playoffs are scheduled for Monday, 14 July in Viadana.

Issued by SA Rugby Communications

The Junior Springboks recorded their third straight bonus-point victory in the pool phase of the World Rugby U20 Championship as they beat Scotland by 73-14 on a sunny Wednesday afternoon in Calvisano to seal top spot in their group in Italy.

The South Africans also beat Australia (73-17) and England (32-22) to book their spot in the semi-finals, and on Wednesday they probably did enough to secure the top-seed position for the playoffs, which are scheduled to take place next Monday.

Playing with purpose and showcasing their silky skills, the first half belonged to the Junior Boks, who scored at more than a point per minute as they crossed the Scottish tryline seven times.

Jaco Williams (left wing) scored after four minutes when he launched a counter-attack from inside his own 22. Six minutes later captain and flanker Thando Biyela was driven over, with Dominic Malgas (centre) adding the third in the 13th minute after a sniping break and great run from the back of a great scrum by Ceano Everson (scrumhalf).

The bonus point try was in the bag in the 16th minute when Williams scored his second try from a lineout move and Oliver Reid (prop) added his name to the score sheet five minutes later from a maul.

Scotland pulled ne back through Seb Stephen (hooker), but fullback Gilermo Mentoe’s try in the 31ste minute, followed by Jean Erasmus (prop) crashing over four minutes later, pushed the Junior Boks past 40 points in the half.

It could have been 50 had Reid not dropped the ball on the tryline from a 30m rolling maul on the stroke of half-time, and from the restart after the break, Williams came within centimetres of grabbing his hat-trick as he just stepped on the dead-ball line as he dotted down.

In the next few minutes, Cheswill Jooste (wing) and Jaco Grobbelaar (lock) were held up over the line as the South Africans kept hammering away as Kevin Foote (head coach) brought on the replacements.

The Junior Boks lost a bit of momentum as Scotland stepped up their game, but the men in green and gold were probably also guilty of becoming a bit too loose as they tried to stretch their lead.

They finally scored again on the hour mark as Everson stepped his way through the Scottish defence, and four minutes later Stephanus Linde (No 8) rounded off a brilliant team try that started from a counter-attack in their own 22, with the handling simply brilliant.

Everson scored his brace in the 71st minute to push the Junior Boks past 60 points as they grew in confidence, but Oliver Finlayson-Russell (replacement prop) grabbed a second for the Scots as they refused to give up.

However, Haashim Pead (replacement scrumhalf) scored his fifth try of the competition at the death, from a move that started with a scrum in their own half, to push the Junior Boks past 70 for the second time in Italy.

Scorers:

Junior Springboks 73 (45) – Tries: Jaco Williams (2), Thando Biyela, Dominic Malgas, Oliver Reid, Gilermo Mentoe, Jean Erasmus, Ceano Everson (2), Stephanus Linde, Haashim Pead. Conversions: Vusi Moyo (4), Ian van der Merwe (5).

Scotland 14 (7) – Tries: Seb Stephen, Oliver Finlayson-Russell. Conversions: Matthew Urwin, Jack Brown.

Issued by SA Rugby Communications

The Junior Springboks have called up utility back Alzeadon Felix as an injury replacement for Siya Ndlozi as they set their sights on their final pool match in the World Rugby U20 Championship on Wednesday afternoon against Scotland.

Ndlozi, who scored two tries in their pool opener against Australia, sustained a hamstring injury against England on Friday, which has ruled him out of the rest of the tournament.

Felix, who played for the SA Schools team in 2024, had a good FNB Varsity Cup campaign, and was part of the wider Junior Bok squad prior to their departure for Italy.

With one pool game to go before the semi-finals, the Junior Boks are fully aware of the huge threat posed by Scotland when they meet at the Stadio San Michele in Calvisano on Wednesday. Kick-off is at 15h30 and the match will be televised live on SuperSport Rugby.

With just five days between matches, and with two more games to come after Wednesday’s pool decider, both sides have made changes to their match squads.

The Junior Boks have picked a strong starting fifteen stacked with players who have already donned the green and gold jersey during their tour of Georgia, the U20 Rugby Championship, and warm-up games against Kenya. The bench includes several players who participated in the victories over Australia and England in Italy.

Meanwhile, Scotland have made nine changes to their starting line-up, meaning they will come at the Junior Boks with fresh legs and huge determination to challenge the South Africans from the outset.

Thando Biyela, who captained the Junior Boks against Georgia and will lead the side against Scotland, said he will be leaning on the experienced players around him during the game.

“It is a massive honour to be leading the Junior Springboks, but I have such experienced players around me, such as Vusi Moyo and Jaco Grobbelaar, and also Haashim Pead on the bench,” said Biyela.

“We will be looking to maintain our momentum, but the Scots are a big and physical unit so it’s going to be an exciting battle. For us, it will be about getting clarity on all the things we are doing and focusing on our set piece to set up a good attacking platform.”

Lumumba Currie, the Junior Springboks’ forward coach, echoed head coach Kevin Foote’s view that their performances thus far are the result of the squad’s hard work during their preparation back home in Stellenbosch.

“We went to Georgia, and one of the big areas we focused on was getting the set piece right,” said Currie.

“Then, to gain more experience, we trained against senior provincial players and against Kenya, so we took confidence from those camps leading up to the tournament. Our forwards have done well so far, but we did concede some penalties, so we have been working hard to eliminate our mistakes.

“As a South African team, we want to impose ourselves on the opposition, but we know Scotland are a good set-piece team with a big pack of forwards and good plans, so we must be prepared for them.”

Issued by SA Rugby Communication

Loose forward Thando Biyela will lead the Junior Springboks in their third and final Pool A match at the World Rugby U20 Championship against Scotland, which kicks off at 15h30 on Wednesday at the Stadio San Michele in Calvisano.

Even though the SA U20 side show several rotational changes from the team that beat England in their previous group match in Rovigo, the match-23 to face Scotland is a strong combination filled with experience.

Fullback Gilermo Mentoe, right wing Cheswill Jooste, outside centre Gino Cupido, and flyhalf Vusi Moyo are retained from the starting fifteen that defeated England on Friday evening.

Upfront, Matt Romao (loose forward), Jaco Grobbelaar (lock), Jean Erasmus and Oliver Read (both props), and Jaundre Schoeman (hooker) all provided impact off the bench against Australia and England, and are now in the starting pack.

According to Kevin Foote, the Junior Springbok head coach, they’ve named a team that will play this important pool game with real purpose and pride against a very good Scotland side. A win will solidify the Junior Boks’ top spot in Pool A.

“We are fortunate that the players in our match-23 have experience playing for the Junior Boks against Georgia, in the U20 Rugby Championship, and also in our warm-up matches against Kenya,” said Foote.

“It is a tremendous honour for any player to represent the Junior Boks and the starting fifteen for Wednesday have earned that right because everyone has worked extremely hard to be in consideration.

“Thando has captained us already earlier this year, Stephanus Linde played for us against Georgia, while Matt Romao was our Man of the Match against Argentina in the Rugby Championship.

“Jaco Williams, Jaco Grobbelaar, and Oliver Reid have all seen a lot of action in the two previous group matches, while we have more experience that will come off the bench in Herman Lubbe, JJ Theron, Batho Hlekani, and Haashim Pead.”

The Junior Bok coach described the team to face Scotland as an experienced selection with exciting combinations.

“We have players whom we believe have a lot of experience, they know our game very well, and they have a lot of hunger to do well against what will be a highly motivated Scotland on Wednesday,” said Foote.

Foote said they have done their homework on Scotland, know what to expect from them, and have a very healthy respect for the Scottish.

“We have a strong desire to improve and we are determined to keep building on our game model, and to make sure we maintain our synergy and cohesion as a team,” he said.

“Everyone understands the threat that Scotland brings, and we feel they have played some good rugby. They attack well and their set piece has been solid; so, they will pose a very big threat for us, and we will not underestimate them. We are looking forward to meeting an exciting challenge on Wednesday.”

Junior Springbok team to face Scotland in Calvisano:

15. Gilermo Mentoe
14. Cheswill Jooste
13. Gino Cupido
12. Dominic Malgas
11. Jaco Williams
10. Vusi Moyo
9. Ceano Everson
8. Stephanus Linde
7. Matt Romao
6. Thando Biyela (captain)
5. Morne Venter
4. Jaco Grobbelaar
3. Jean Erasmus
2. Jaundre Schoeman
1. Oliver Reid

Replacements

16. Siphosethu Mnebelele
17. Phiwayinkosi “Rambo” Kubheka
18. Herman Lubbe
19. JJ Theron
20. Batho Hlekani
21. Haashim Pead
22. Ian van der Merwe
23. Demitre Erasmus

Issued by SA Rugby Communications

South Africa’s leading schoolboys will be in action at the FNB u18 Craven Week tournament at Hoërskool Middelburg in Mpumalanga, starting on Monday with the final day scheduled for next Saturday.

The final instalment of SA Rugby’s 2025 FNB Youth Weeks programme will run from Monday 7 to Saturday 12 July, with 16 teams competing across the matches played on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday.

At the conclusion of the tournament, the SA Schools and SA Schools ‘A’ teams will be announced. They will face each other at Hoërskool Middelburg on Thursday, 17 July, while the U18 International Series will follow in August.

Nine players who featured in the SA Schools and SA U18 teams last year have been included in their provincial squads again. They are Josh Neill, Markus Muller, Briint Davids, Jordan Jooste (all WP), Ethan Adams, AJ Meyer (both Free State), Zekhe Siyaya (KZN), André Poulton (Lions), and Joshua McKenzie (EP).

Eight teams are in action on the opening day of the tournament, with the Western Province XV and the Griffons meeting in the first fixture at 09h30.

Free State, who went down to DHL Western Province in the final match of the 2024 tournament, will face South Western Districts thereafter.

The FNB u18 Craven Week Opening Ceremony at 14h00 will be followed by a clash between the Hollywood Foundation Pumas – the hosts of this year’s tournament – and the Limpopo Blue Bulls.

DHL Western Province, who finished last year’s tournament unbeaten, will be in action on Tuesday, along with the Leopards, Valke, Border, Suzuki Griquas, Sharks High Schools, Eastern Province and Sanlam Boland.

All the FNB u18 Craven Week action will be broadcast by SuperSport.

FNB u18 Craven Week day one schedule (Monday, 7 July):

09:30 – DHL Western Province XV v Griffons
11:00 – Free State v South Western Districts
12:30 – Blue Bulls v Obaro Golden Lions
14:00 – Opening Ceremony
14:30 – Hollywood Foundation Pumas v Limpopo Blue Bulls

FNB u18 Craven Week day two schedule (Tuesday, 8 July):

10:00 – Leopards vs Valke
11:30 – Border vs Suzuki Griquas
13:00 – Sharks vs Eastern Province
14:30 – DHL Western Province vs Sanlam Boland

Issued by SA Rugby Communications

Junior Springbok coach Kevin Foote credited his players for their composure and character after they recorded their second pool victory at the World Rugby U20 Championship in Italy with a great win over England in Rovigo on Friday evening.

Despite a slow start, the SA U20s remained calm and delivered the knock-out blow in a superb opening 10 minutes of the second half, followed by a commanding defensive performance, to beat the defending champions by 32-22.

England led 14-0 after 12 minutes but the Junior Boks clawed their way back and at 22-19 behind at the break, they were in the contest.

Thirteen unanswered points early in the second half – including a penalty goal of almost 60m by Vusi Moyo and a bonus point try by Haashim Pead for his second brace of the tournament – put the Junior Boks in the pound seats and they repelled England’s constant attacks thereafter for a great win.

With a full house of 10 log points from their two victories, a spot in the semi-finals is within reach, but Foote said they are still building and are only looking at the next match, against Scotland on Wednesday.

“We’ll take a lot of confidence from this victory, but Scotland are a good side, they ran England close in the Six Nations, and we certainly will not underestimate any team ever – we’ll keep our feet on the ground and focus on the next job,” said Foote.

“Having said that, I thought the boys showed massive character tonight to come back from 14-0 down, take the lead with some great attacking play, and then keep England out for the rest of the match.

“I have to applaud the leadership in our team as well – the players never panicked and those two penalty goals by Vusi early in the second half gave us momentum, after which I was super proud of our defence at the end.”

Foote said they realise they have to play for the full 80 minutes, and that they are getting closer to that.

“We were a bit slow at the breakdowns early in the game, where we turned over ball that gave England momentum and fatigued us,” said Foote.

“But as a team we spoke about getting better the harder the game gets. We remained calm and stuck to getting the next job done, staying with our processes and keeping the scoreboard ticking over.

“I also think our combinations are starting to click on defence, something we identified as an area to work on earlier in the season, and the way in which the guys defended at the end was huge.

“The players deserve credit for their bravery on defence and executing on the field – they showed great character, which is testament to the culture and belief in this team.”

SA U20 captain Riley Norton gave England credit for their strong start and said they knew it was going to be a great battle against the defending champions.

“We knew it was going to be tough, but I’m very proud of our defence at the end, as it’s something we pride ourselves on as South Africans,” said Norton.

“We’re out here giving everything for our country and we’re all very proud of the win, but we’re still building, and we’ll take massive confidence from this game.

“To be honest, it’s not quite sunk in yet. We will celebrate tonight, but tomorrow we go again – it’s five days until we face Scotland and we have the bigger picture in mind, so we’re very excited for the next three games.”

The Junior Boks’ final Pool A game against Scotland kicks off at 15h30 in Calvisano, after which the three pool winners and the best-placed team in second position will qualify for the semi-finals, on Monday 14 July.

Issued by SA Rugby Communications

SA U20 flyhalf Vusi Moyo praised the contribution and hard work of the non-playing squad members after the Junior Springboks secured a well-deserved 32-22 victory in their World Rugby U20 Championship pool clash over defending champions England in Rovigo on Friday evening.

South Africa trailed 22-19 at the break after a slow start to the match, which saw England quickly take a 14-0 lead.

However, two vital penalty goals by Moyo – one from almost 60m out – and a brilliant solo try by SA U20 vice-captain and scrumhalf Haashim Pead not only wiped out the deficit but also swung the momentum firmly in favour of the Junior Boks.

With the victory, the South Africans became the first team to book their spot in the semi-finals, with one pool round to go.

Moyo, the top points’ scorer in the tournament so far, credited the non-playing squad members: “They prepared us well during the week by putting pressure on us, so when we got into those moments, we knew what to do.

The SA flyhalf, who has scored 26 points in the first two games, said that even though they made a slow start and were behind early on, they always had belief: “We are a big detail-driven side, and we don’t focus on other stuff; we just concentrate on what we have to do.”

Moyo’s combination with Pead has been an important feature of the Junior Boks’ attack so far, alongside his ability to bring their dangerous running backs into play.

Pead is second behind Moyo on the list for most points with 20 from four tries – he scored a brace in each match so far, which is also the most five-pointers after two rounds of action.

Apart from his two penalty goals against England, Moyo succeeded with three conversions, adding to the seven he slotted in the previous game against Australia.

Meanwhile, the Junior Boks are enjoying a deserved rest day on Saturday before resuming training on Sunday for Wednesday’s last Pool A game against Scotland in Calvisano.

The SA U20s’ win means they lead Pool A on 10 points, five more than England and Australia, who face each other in the final pool round.

In Pool B, France and Argentina both sit on 10 points each, while New Zealand top Pool C on nine points. The three pool winners and the best of the second-placed teams will go through to the semi-finals.

Issued by SA Rugby Communications

The Junior Springboks made a big step to the World Rugby U20 Championship semi-finals when they beat the defending champions, England, by 32-22 in very hot and humid conditions in Rovigo, Italy on Friday evening.

The SA U20s were down 22-19 at the break, but in a blitz converted that into a 10-point lead early in the second half and then delivered a brilliant defensive display to secure a well-deserved win, which put them in a good position to secure a spot in the semi-finals.

England started like a house on fire and were up 14-0 in the opening 12 minutes, mainly due to poor option taking and defence by their opponents, but South Africa came back with purpose after the first water break in a hot Rovigo.

They slowly but surely started dismantling the defending champions and once they got their running game going, there was no stopping the Junior Boks.

Cheswill Jooste (wing) had a brilliant game on attack and his stepping proved decisive in a win that proved the credentials of Kevin Foote’s side.

England started like a house on fire. Scrumhalf Jonny Weimann scored early after a poor kick chase defence by the SA U20s and when Josh Bellamy converted, they led 7-0 in as many minutes.

That lead jumped to 14-0 soon after when Connor Treacy (flanker) scored from inside pass that opened up the SA defence, with Bellamy hitting the mark again.

At this stage, the team in green and gold were not sharp on attack, forcing passes and dropping balls. The water break came just at the right time and when play resumed, it was a different Junior Bok side.

Jooste scored a brilliant try when he beat numerous defenders to dot down. Vusi Moyo converted after 23 minutes the tide started to turn.

The speedy Jooste was involved in the next try as well, scored by scrumhalf, Haashim Pead. The halfback started the move by going blind, Jooste again rounded his man and from two quick recycles, Pead scored.

The conversion was wide, but after 28 minutes the bad start was a thing of the past. An error in their 22 handed England a gift try after 33 minutes and stopped the good SA momentum, but that was just a fleeting setback.

Gilermo Mentoe (fullback) was put in space by a brilliant Gino Cupido break and pass. Moyo converted from out wide and suddenly scores were level again. From the restart though SA went offside at a ruck, and Ben Coen kicked a penalty goal to put England ahead again going into the break.

The second half belonged to South Africa and the foundation was laid in a brilliant 10-minute spell after the restart.

A Moyo penalty goal drew them level and soon after another three-pointer, this time from 58m out found the target again and suddenly the Junior Boks were ahead for the first time, 48 minutes in.

That lead jumped to 10 points a minute later. Pead caught the England defence napping just outside the SA 22 and set of for a dazzling 78m run to score a try of the year contender.

Moyo converted and suddenly the pressure was on England to play catch-up. They tried their best, but found a hard-hitting, smothering SA defence too much to deal with.

They had some respite when Cupido was yellow 10 minutes from time for a high tackle, but even with an extra player on the field, England could not penetrate the SA defence.

The Junio Boks refused to lose the tackle collisions and even without the ball, dominated the England attacking efforts. Credit to the defending champions, who played till the very last minute, but the SA side just had too much fire in the belly to be denied a crucial win.

Scorers:

Junior Springboks 32 (19) – Tries: Haashim Pead (2), Gilermo Mentoe, Cheswill Jooste. Conversions: Vusi Moyo (3). Penalty goals: Moyo (2).

England 22 (22) – Tries: Jonny Weimann, Connor Treacey, Jack Bracken. Conversions: Benjamin Coen, Josh Bellamy. Penalty goal: Bellamy.