Junior Springboks claim tight victory over Argentina in Under-20 Rugby Championship

The Junior Springboks scraped home with a 30-28 win over Argentina on Sunday with an injury-time penalty from flyhalf Philip-Albert van Niekerk to secure their first win in the inaugural Under-20 Rugby Championship.

South Africa were made to work hard for their sole victory of the tournament — having drawn with New Zealand in round one and losing to Australia in round two — rallying from 14 points behind at halftime.

It was the first rain-free match of the inaugural two-week, nine-match long tournament at the Sunshine Coast Stadium in Bokarina, Queensland.

The change in weather brought an early change in fortune as the Junior Boks got the first points of the match within the first minute — with outside centre Jurenzo Julius running a clever line from a breakdown turnover to put his side ahead.

With the scores tied at 7-7, Argentina took the ascendancy as halftime approached.

A yellow card for scrumhalf Ezekiel Ngobeni, playing his first match in the tournament, 10 minutes before halftime gave the Pumitas an advantage they exploited.

A brace of tries within five minutes by left-winger Franco Rossetto, added to his score earlier in the half, gave him a first-half hattrick and his side were 21-7 ahead headed into the break.

However, the Junior Boks came out firing in the second stanza, going on a 23-point haul to rein in Argentina.

“The guys showed great character, belief and fighting spirit to shake off a disappointing first half,” said Junior Boks coach Bafana Nhleko after the clash.

“They showed glimpses of how we can play to eventually win the game against a good Argentina side. I must also praise the leadership for the way they regrouped.

“We found ourselves in a very deep hole in the first half, frustratingly more from our own doing, and we had to tweak a few things during halftime.

“The players responded well as we managed the game better in the second half and imposed our systems on Argentina, which allowed us to build momentum from where we could score.”

Finding rhythm

The Junior Springboks found some attacking rhythm in the second half, like so often in the tournament, through their contact-dominating forwards.

Forwards Tiaan Jacobs, Casper Badenhorst and Zachary Porthen all steamrolled their way over the tryline from close range to edge the Junior Boks into the lead.

But Argentina and in particular, Rossetto, would not lie down, grabbing the lead again in the 74th minute with a well-finished try — his fourth of the match.

With Argentina leading 28-27 and time up on the clock, South Africa’s powerful forwards earned a penalty in front of the posts that flyhalf Philip-Albert van Niekerk — who started at inside centre against Australia — slotted over easily.

“We will take some confidence from this result, but there is a lot of room for improvement. We will keep learning through our reviews and continue to work hard in training when we assemble again in Stellenbosch,” Nhleko said.

South Africa’s victory means each team won at least one match, while New Zealand were the only side with two wins.

Undefeated New Zealand were crowned overall champions after a tightly fought 36-25 win over Australia in the final match of the tournament.

The South Africa U20s will now redirect their attention to the World Rugby U20 Championship, which takes place in the Western Cape next month. DM