Three-time World Rugby U20 Championship winners France will advance to the final after beating New Zealand in an enthralling and high-scoring encounter to round off day four at DHL Stadium. England had earlier seen off the challenge of Ireland in a hard-fought game at the same venue.
New Zealand and last year's finalists Ireland will meet in the third-place play-off. Australia, meanwhile, overcame Wales to set up a fifth-place play-off against Argentina, who got the better of hosts South Africa. The two beaten sides will face off in the seventh-place play-off; Italy meet Georgia in the ninth-place play-off and Spain take on Fiji in the relegation play-off.
SEMI-FINAL: NEW ZEALAND 31-55 FRANCE
Back-row Mathis Castro-Ferreira scored a hat-trick as France beat New Zealand in an enthralling, end-to-end 12-try thriller to set up a final against U20 Men's Six Nations’ rivals England.
Joé Quere-Karaba burst from the back of a ruck for the game’s opener as Sebastien Calvet’s charges set about making amends for the one-point loss to New Zealand earlier in the tournament.
They had a second in the eighth minute. Hoani Bosmorin raced down fve-metre channel, and passed to his captain Hugo Reus. He, somehow, offloaded before being bundled into touch for Charly Gambini to score.
New Zealand dominated territory and possession all game, but Les Bleuets were devastating in attack and determined in defence.
And they were irrepressible even with a player down after Geoffrey Malaterre saw yellow for pulling down a maul near his own line, giving up a penalty try in the eighth minute. A break from Barnabe Massa in the 14th minute opened up New Zealand’s defence and Castro-Ferreira was over in the corner two passes later.
Dylan Pledger then scored the match’s fifth try, just 17 minutes in, sheer pace putting him clear off the back of a ruck.
Reus’ inch-perfect width-of-the-field kick gave Castro-Ferreira his second 10 minutes later, and France’s captain added two more penalties to his four first-half conversions to give his side a 20-point lead at the break.
They extended it five minutes into the second period, as Castro-Ferreira flopped over for his third, to complete a lung-busting period of pressure.
Both sides were reduced to 14 in the 50th minute. Stanley Solomon’s yellow for a high tackle was later upgraded to red, leaving them a player short for 20 minutes under World Rugby’s law trials, and Lorencio Boyer Gallardo was sin-binned.
New Zealand gave themselves hope with three tries in their 20 minutes of numerical inferiority. King Maxwell got their first, Aki Tuivailala raced in just before the hour, and Andrew Smith crashed over with three minutes remaining on the 20-minute red card clock.
But they could not stop France scoring. Quere-Karaba’s interception released full-back Mathis Ferté to race under the posts. And another Reus cross-field kick fell into the arms of Xan Mousques with nine minutes remaining to take France past 50 points and into the final.
FIFTH-PLACE SEMI-FINAL: SOUTH AFRICA 24-34 ARGENTINA
Argentina will challenge for fifth on the final day of the U20 Championship on Friday, after recording a second tournament win over hosts South Africa in a momentum-swinging match at DHL Stadium.
The crucial moment came late in the first half, when Argentinian winger Gregorio Perez Pardo scooped up a loose ball to score, after a sweeping object lesson in unstructured rugby that had started 60m downfield, and a dozen passes earlier, with full-back Benjamin Elizalde collecting a grubber from South Africa’s centre Jurenzo Julius.
That breath-taking score gave the South Americans – ninth here in 2023 – a 14-point cushion at the end of an opening period in which the balance of power switched hands more than once.
Hooker Juan Greising Revol scored twice when the two sides met at a rain-sodden Stellenbosch earlier in the competition – a match Argentina won 31-12 to record only their third U20 win over South Africa. He did it again to open the scoring here, after 20 minutes, bursting off the back of a dominant maul.
And when captain Efrain Elias strolled through a wide channel one gap four minutes later, it looked like another comfortable win was on the cards.
But South Africa had other ideas. Julius took an inside ball one-handed low and to his right, and danced through the defence to get the hosts back into the game.
Suddenly, the hosts had the wind at their backs. Their pack had the upper hand, a reversal of fortunes from the teams’ earlier match – until Perez Pardo’s score.
Backrow Sibabalwe Mahashe got them going again early in the second half, as a South Africa maul splintered the Argentinian defence, and it seemed a comeback was possible. Zachary Porthen crashed over shortly after the hour-mark, but was held up, the referee ruled, as the hosts – who finished third in 2023 – looked to close the gap.
Minutes later, however, Timoteo Silva finished off a well-worked series of phases – despite flirting dangerously with the touchline – to extend Argentina’s lead again with 14 minutes left on the clock.
It was more than enough, despite another tackle-breaking score from the ever-impressive Julius three minutes from time.
FIFTH-PLACE SEMI-FINAL: AUSTRALIA 36-29 WALES
Macs Page’s hat-trick was not enough for Wales as Australia held firm to join Argentina in the fifth-place play-off.
Despite spending the opening exchanges in their half, the Welsh scored first. A powerful maul drove over from 15m out, with hooker Isaac Young claiming the try.
Australia responded quickly, motoring over the Welsh pack at a scrum. Harvey Cordukes got the touchdown, and Harry McLaughlin-Phillips’ converted, to give them a 7-5 lead.
But Wales’ determined efforts in defence were rewarded as a brilliant chargedown from Page inside in his 22 bounced into his arms. The centre raced away to retake the lead.
The Junior Wallabies finally capitalised on their dominance, as Kadin Pritchard ran a brilliant line to dot down from a solid scrum, after Morgan Morse was sent to the bin following one Welsh infringement too many for the referee.
Another monstrous scrum from gave them another platform a few minutes later, as they turned over Welsh ball and shipped it out to winger Archer Saunders, who crossed for their third try of the first half.
Australia continued to dominate after the break. McLaughlin-Phillips burst through three Welsh defenders and found captain Toby Macpherson on a great line, with the second-row crossing to extend their lead.
Wales then launched an attack of their own as centre Page got them within inches of Australia’s line. The Welsh recycled possession and found winger Kodi Stone with a cross-field kick. He offloaded to Matty Young, who scored in the corner.
Australia were not done with the scoring yet and fired the crucial blow after a sensational grab from Leahy allowed Shane Wilcox to break. Dan Nelson was on hand to score untouched.
Wales once again did not go down quietly and added to their tally moments later as Harri Ford found Page with a cross-field kick for his second. He completed his hat-trick moments later, finishing off after a sensational break from Louis Hennessy.
(Courtesy of world.rugby/tournaments/u20/championship)
