Fullback Gilermo Mentoe scored a late try as the Junior Boks beat New Zealand in the World U20 Championship final in Rovigo on Saturday night.
South Africa clinched their first junior world championship since 2012 as flyhalf Vusi Moyo kicked 13 points to go with tries from Mentoe and flanker Xola Nyali for a 23-15 victory against the Baby Blacks in the decider.
History made 🏆
13 years on, South Africa are champions of #WorldRugbyU20s once again 🇿🇦@SAJuniorRugby pic.twitter.com/1qsr7hu04H
— World Rugby (@WorldRugby) July 19, 2025
“The amount of work that we put in after not a great Rugby Championship, our backs were against the wall, and we gave it everything,” Junior Boks captain Riley Norton said in the post-match interview. “The group is unbelievable, the management and the coaches… I’m so proud.
“Hats off to New Zealand, they’re an unbelievable team, and we have the most respect for them. They never go away, to play a final against them was extremely special and something we’ll cherish for a very long time.
“We knew we had to show up physically. That’s our DNA, that’s where South Africans get their energy and passions from; mauls, scrums and hits. The guys did that for 80 minutes and never backed down. And then of course Vusi Moyo, with his unbelievable boot, always putting us on the front foot and kicking those penalties and he’s back again next year.”
More to follow…
Photo: Maurilio Boldrini / World Rugby
