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Junior Springbok coach Kevin Foote credited Australia for staying in the fight and producing a gutsy second half performance to edge South Africa in their second-round Under-20 Rugby Championship clash at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha on Tuesday afternoon.<\/p>\n
Australia overturned a 17-point deficit in a tactically astute second-half performance to\u00a0beat the Junior Boks by 29-24\u00a0in a game of two halves. The visitors dominated territory after the break as they grew in confidence, while the Junior Boks failed to capitalise on their opportunities, especially in the first half.<\/p>\n
After the Junior Boks scored two first half tries, Australia turned the tables in the second half by making good use of their scoring opportunities, while the hosts would want to look at their discipline and play at the breakdowns, especially after the break.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe got pegged down in our own half after half-time, and a few turnovers gave them opportunities and momentum,\u201d said Foote, whose team beat Argentina in the opening round last Thursday.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think Australia deserve a lot of credit for staying in the fight, they\u2019re gutsy and did well at that. We turned over too much ball and the defensive pressure became big for us.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe number one thing to improve on is probably to look after our ball and making sure we don\u2019t give it up too easily, as well as our discipline to not concede soft penalties.\u201d<\/p>\n
Junior Bok captain Riley Norton also emphasised the number of penalties conceded and the Aussies\u2019 territorial advantage.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought we had a great first half and I thought our game drivers were doing very well,\u201d said Norton.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn the second half we conceded some soft penalties at times and then we lost the territorial battle. These are valuable lessons for us before the World Rugby U20 Championship.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe can go back and look at the positives and try to improve on the things we didn\u2019t do well. It did not go our way today, but the boys are still positive, and we have one more game to play in the Championship, and we are excited for that.\u201d<\/p>\n
New Zealand scored 11 tries to three in their 75-21 victory over Argentina earlier on Tuesday, and Foote said they realise a big step up will be required when they take on their arch-rivals on Sunday.<\/p>\n
\u201cThis will be a huge fixture for us \u2013 they play with a great tempo and have their tails up (after beating Argentina), so they will be great opposition,\u201d said Foote.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe team will be very highly motivated for the New Zealand match; we are playing at home, and facing New Zealand is just an amazing Test match in itself.\u201d<\/p>\n
After two rounds, New Zealand leads the standings with seven points, followed by Australia on six, South Africa on five, and Argentina on zero.<\/p>\n