The Junior Springboks will savour their opening round victory over Australia World Rugby U20 Championship, but the team will keep their feet firmly on the ground and prepare for the next big challenge, their second pool match against England.
(World Rugby U20 Championship News click HERE)
SA U20 coach Kevin Foote was a happy man after his team scored 11 tries to beat the Australians by 73-17 in their Pool A opener in Calvisano.
Foote praised the team's conditioning as they outplayed Australia for large parts of the game, which was staged in extremely hot and humid conditions:
“The conditions were tough, but we managed our nutrition and hydration well,” said Foote.
“Our preparation was key, both physically and mentally, and I think our conditioning was outstanding, and for that the team's conditioning staff deserve praise for their hard work.”
Foote was also full of praise for the way in which the SA U20s managed to execute their game plan successfully against the tactically astute Australians.
“We executed our plans perfectly and adapted well under pressure,” he said.
“We balanced our kicking and running game well, and our leadership on the field was calm and composed. The boys made mature decisions under pressure, which was crucial.”
The Junior Bok coach also highlighted the seamless integration of new players, with Jaco Grobbelaar and Jaco Williams both joining the team just before they left for Italy.
SA U20 captain Riley Norton, who had a good game at lock, was also pleased with their effort.
“It was a great win against a quality Australian side, but we can improve on certain areas," said Norton, adding that there will be no room for complacency, especially with the defending champions their next opponent.
“It is just one game under our belts, and we want to learn and continuously improve as the tournament progresses,” Norton stressed.
“I'm glad for the win and very excited for the forthcoming challenges, which will require thorough preparation and review.”
Junior Springboks 73 [Tries: Pead 2, Lubbe, Ndloz, Jooste, Mentoe,Theron, Grobbelaar, Nyali, Williams; Cons: Moyo 7, Van der Merwe 2] Australia 17 [Tries: Harvey, Watters 2; Con: Harvey]
Australia: 15 Sid Harvey, 14 Cooper Watters, 13 Xavier Rubens, 12 Boston Fakafanua, 11 Shane Wilcox,10 Joey Fowler, 9 Hwi Sharples, 8 Beau Morrison, 7 Tom Robinson, 6 Eli Langi, 5 Eamon Doyle (captain), 4 Charlie Brosnan, 3 Trevor King, 2 Lipina Ata, 1 Finn Baxter
Replacements: 16 Ollie Barrett, 17 Nathaniel Tiitii, 18 Edwin Langi, 19 Joe Mangelsdorf, 20 Toby Brial, 21 Aden Ekanayake, 22 James Martens, 23 Joe Dillon
South Africa: 15 Gilermo Mentoe, 14 Cheswill Jooste, 13 Demitre Erasmus, 12 Albie Bester, 11 Siyabonga Ndlozi, 10 Vusi Moyo, 9 Haashim Pead, 8 Wandile Mlaba, 7 Bathobele Hlekani, 6 Xola Nyali, 5 JJ Theron, 4 Riley Norton (captain), 3 Herman Lubbe, 2 Siphosethu Mnebelele, 1 Simphiwe Ngobese
Replacements: 16 Jaundre Schoeman, 17 Oliver Reid, 18 Jean Erasmus, 19 Jaco Grobbelaar, 20 Matt Romao, 21 Erich Visser, 22 Ian van der Merwe, 23 Jaco Williams
Meanwhile, New Zealand Under 20 opened the World Rugby Under 20 Championship with a gritty 14-5 victory over the host nation, Italy, in Calvisano. Played in oppressive heat and in front of a buoyant crowd, New Zealand was held scoreless in the second half of a turgid spectacle.
The first half took more than an hour to complete. In the third minute, Italian tighthead prop Bruno Vallesi injured in a big collision. The injury break stretched 15 minutes but didn’t hamper the Italian scrum. New Zealand was penalised frequently in that department as it struggled to contain the Azzurri beef. Monster loosehead prop Sergio Pellicioli packs in at 142kg.
Italy threw ample numbers at the breakdown and unsettled a New Zealand team that lacked cohesion and discipline. Winger Stanley Solomon was yellow-carded for an illegal cleanout in the first half. Replacement forward Randall Baker followed in the second as New Zealand conceded a dozen penalties to Italy’s four.
Italy was responsible for 20 of the 37 turnovers in the match. New Zealand can take heart from a determined defensive display, kicking sensibly and often down the middle of the park, baiting the inaccurate Italians to run it back before they invariably fumbled.
Crusaders hooker Manumaua Letiu scored New Zealand's first try from a lineout drive that could have finished in Rome. Influential halfback Dylan Pledger vitally scored just before halftime with a dummy and dash over 30 metres.
Second-five Copper Roberts and lock Xavier Treacy topped the New Zealand tackle count with 13 each, followed by openside flanker Caleb Woodley with nine. Second-five Riccardo Casarin proved a menace over the ball, snaffling three turnovers for Italy.
Winger Frank Vaenuku was easily New Zealand’s most lively back. The All Blacks Sevens flyer made three linebreaks and charged for a game-high 97 metres.
Halfback Niccolo Beni scored Italy’s only try, a second-half cracker following a sweeping move down the left wing side that started at halfway. Italy missed a penalty shot at the end, which would have given them a deserved bonus point for losing by less than seven points.
New Zealand 14 [Tries: Pledger, Letiu; Cons: Cole 2] Italy 5 [Try: Beni]
New Zealand: 15 Rico Simpson, 14 Frank Vaenuku, 13 Cooper Roberts, 12 Jack Wiseman, 11 Stanley Solomon, 10 Will Cole, 9 Dylan Pledger, 8 Mosese Bason, 7 Caleb Woodley, 6 Finn McLeod. 5 Jayden Sa, 4 Xavier Treacy, 3 Logan Wallace, 2 Manumaua Letiu (captain), 1 Sika Pole
Replacements: 16 Shaun, Kempton, 17 Dane Johnston, 18 Robson Faleafa, 4 Randall Baker, 5 Micah Fale, 6 Jai Tamati, 7 Tayne Harvey, 8 Harlyn Saunoa
Italy: 15 Edoardo Todaro, 14 Alessandro Drago, 13 Federico Zanandrea, 12 Riccardo Casarin, 11 Jules Ducros, 10 Roberto Fasti, 9 Niccolo Beni, 8 Nelson Casartelli, 7 Antony Italo Miranda, 6 Giacomo Milano (captain), 5 Enoch Opoku-Gyamfi, 4 Mattia Midena, 3 Bruno Vallesi, 2 Niccolo Michelle Corvasce, 1 Sergio Pellicciolo
Replacements: 16 Alessio Caiolo-Serra, 17 Sascha Mistrulli, 18 Nicola Bolognini, 19 Simone Fardin, 20 Piero Gritti, 21 Carlo Antonio Bianchi, 22 Luca Rossi, 23 Gianmmarco Pietramala
In their opening match Los Pumitas beat Wales 34-27 in a hard-fought match at the Payanini Center in Verona.
Argentina 34 [Tries: Campos, Rapetti 2, Silva, Arocena; Cons: Benedit 3; Pen: Benedit] Wales 27 [Tries: Penalty Try, Emanuel, Minto; Cons: Ford 2; Pens: Ford 2]
Argentina:15 Pascal Senillosa, 14 Timothy Silva, 13 Pedro Coll, 12 Felipe Ledesma (captain), 11 Baptist Lescano, 10 Rafael Benedit, 9 Felix Corleto, 8 Agustin Garcia Campos, 7 Santiago Corleto, 6 Tomas Dande, 5 Alvaro Garcia Iandolino, 4 Tomas Duclos, 3 Tomas Rapetti, 2 Tadeo Ledesma Arocena, 1 Juan Rodriquez
Replacements: 16 Jeronimo Otano, 17 Diego Strap, 18 Gael Galvan, 19 Valentino Freiria, 20 Pampa Storey, 21 Fabricio Griffo, 22 Ramon Fernandez Miranda, 23 Aquiles Vieyra
Wales: 15 Jack Woods, 14 Elijah Evans, 13 Osian Roberts, 12 Steffan Emanuel, 11 Aidan Boshoff, 10 Harri Ford, 9 Sion Davies, 8 Evan Minto, 7 Harry Beddall (captain), 6 Deian Gwynne, 5 Nick Thomas, 4 Kenzie Jenkins, 3 Sam Scott, 2 Harry Thomas, 1 Ioan Emanuel.
Replacements: 16 Saul Hurley, 17 Louie Trevett, 18 Owain James, 19 Dan Gemine, 20 Caio James, 21 Ellis Lewis, 22 Harri Wilde, 23 Tom Bowen.
