The Junior Springboks turned in a defensive masterclass in Cape Town on Friday night to beat England in the third-place playoff and secure a fourth consecutive World Rugby U20 Championship bronze medal.
Having taken a slim seven-point lead into the break, the Junior Boks held out in a scoreless second half to beat England 22-15 and finish in third place at Athlone Stadium.
Finishing with a win on home soil 🇿🇦@JuniorBoks secure a third-place finish!#WorldRugbyU20s pic.twitter.com/YI0zaqxExY
— World Rugby (@WorldRugby) July 14, 2023
The win was based on the Junior Boks’ defence and work-rate at the breakdown, as the home side made tackle after tackle, forcing England into errors and capitalising in the first half to take an all-important lead at half-time.
It was a nervous opening five minutes for the Junior Boks as they lost their first lineout and conceded a penalty from the first scrum, allowing England to take a 0-3 lead.
However, the home side seemed to settle after that, scoring the opening try through debutant flank Hennie Sieberhagen, who over after a quick tap from a penalty won thanks to a powerful driving maul.
While the Junior Boks struggled with their kick-off receives, they were far better at the set-piece, which laid their platform for their second try, scoring by No 8 Corne Beets after a strong carry by inside centre Damian Markus.
England hit back through a wonder try by hooker Cameron Wright, who showed his pace after a sensational linebreak from Cassius Cleaves from inside the 22.
The two teams traded maul tries towards the end of the first half, setting up a thrilling second period.
The second half became a battle of wills as England threw everything they could at the hosts, creating linebreaks and threatening to overwhelm the Junior Boks. However, in a show of pure character, the young South Africans set up an iron wall to claim the victory.
A big early moment in the battle for third…
Corne Beets squeezes his way over for @JuniorBoks second try in the opening 20#WorldRugbyU20s pic.twitter.com/ugHWsacdPn
— World Rugby (@WorldRugby) July 14, 2023
Cassius Cleaves, that is 𝗶𝗻𝘀𝗮𝗻𝗲.
Craig Wright goes over after a break you’ll want to watch more than once!#WorldRugbyU20s | @EnglandRugby pic.twitter.com/RnWOKIT1zB
— World Rugby (@WorldRugby) July 14, 2023