Junior Boks fight back to skin Pumitas

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Haashim Pead scored a brace of tries as the Junior Springboks overcame a first-half deficit to beat Argentina in their U20 Rugby Championship opener in Gqeberha on Thursday.

Trailing 20-15 at half time, the Junior Boks scored three of their five tries in an impressive second-half performance to claim a 36-25 victory at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.

Kevin Foote’s troops found themselves further behind when Los Pumitas captain Felipe Ledesma crossed early after the break, but the hosts responded emphatically with scrumhalf Pead completing his double before skipper Riley Norton put his team ahead for good with a close-range touchdown.

Left winger Gino Cupido, who made his Blitzboks debut at the Hong Kong Sevens in March, sealed the win with a late try, while flyhalf Kyle Smith kicked nine points before being substituted.

The opening exchanges saw Smith and opposite number Rafael Benedit trade penalties before Pead crossed the whitewash. The visitors responded through fullback Pascal Senillosa, levelling the scores at 10-10. 

Outside centre Demitre Erasmus restored South Africa’s advantage, but the Argentines finished the half strongly with right winger Bautista Lescano’s try giving them a five-point buffer at the interval.

Thursday’s victory carries extra significance as Argentina narrowly lost 30-28 to the Junior Boks in last year’s inaugural tournament in Australia.

The match concluded an entertaining double-header at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, following a thrilling 29-29 draw between defending champions New Zealand and Australia, where Beau Morrison’s converted try after the final hooter secured the Australians a share of the spoils.

The second of three rounds of fixtures at the same venue is scheduled for Tuesday, with New Zealand and Argentina set to lock horns at 2pm, before the Junior Boks face Australia (4:10pm).

Photo: Richard Huggard/Gallo Images

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