Junior Boks showed ‘proper character' to turn Argentina game around
The coach and captain of the Junior Springboks sang the team's praises for being able to adapt their game plan against a tough Argentina side.
Junior Springbok captain Riley Norton said he 'couldn't be prouder' after his side turned their U20 Rugby Championship match against Argentina on its head to secure the victory on Thursday.
The team's coach, Kevin Foote, likewise sang his side's praises after they adapted their game plan a determined and stylish Argentina to change a 25–15 deficit into a 36–25 win in front of a crowd of 9,000 at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha.
Norton praises his side
The Junior Springboks won five tries to three, with scores coming from Haashim Pead (2), Demitre Erasmus, Riley Norton and Gino Cupido. Flyhalf Kyle Smith also slotted three conversions and a penalty.
But it was only thanks to a dominant second-half performance, with three unanswered tries and a major tightening of their defence in the last 35 minutes that gave them the edge.
'It feels really good to get the win in the bag,' Norton said. 'Of course, there are things we can work on, but to fight through those 80 minutes, [and] tough times, it was really proper character from the boys. I couldn't be prouder.'
The captain added that Argentina showed passion to fight until the last minute, and demonstrated their class in dominating lineouts against a side that had talked up its set-piece strength before the game.
'Argentina, the way they contest is they throw the guys in the air and they were brilliant today. So we'll definitely go back to the drawing board on that. But to lose a lot of set-piece and still dominate, I am really, really proud of the boys.'
Junior Springboks draw on crowd's support
Coach Foote commended his team for dealing with their initial nerves and adapt to the slippery conditions at the stadium.
'One of our biggest strengths is our leadership, and after half-time, when they scored quickly, the guys didn't drop their heads,' Foote said.
'The guys adapted really well after half-time and a lot of credit has to go to the leadership group and their ability to maintain confidence and belief, and go back to what we knew was going to work, playing a territory-based game and putting pressure on their opponents in their own half.'
The Junior Springbok coach also thanked the crowd, who had seen Australia snatch a 29-all draw against New Zealand earlier in the day, for creating an 'electric atmosphere' to help the South Africans cross the line.
The Junior Springboks next play their next match of the tournament against Australia on Tuesday (kick-off 4.10pm). New Zealand will take on Argentina before that game, kicking off at 2pm.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
IOL News
an hour ago
- IOL News
Proteas caught between the Lord's slope and the deep blue sea . . . time to show positive intent
South Africa's David Bedingham is going to be a key player on day two of the World Test Championship final. Image: Marco Longari / AFP Positive intent. It's normally something that is non-negotiable when it comes to Shukri Conrad's coaching philosophy. The Proteas mentor likes to play the game on the front-foot. He wants his charges to fight fire with fire and be aggressive on the field of play without doing something stupid. So it must have been hard for the coach sitting on the Lord's balcony wrapped up in his jacket on a cool London summer's day watching his batters trying to survive in the World Test Championship final against one of the best seam attacks the game has ever seen. Mitchell Starc, Pat Cummins and Josh Hazelwood were getting the new Duke ball to talk and do all sorts of things up and down the infamous slope at the 'Home of Cricket'. At one stage just eight runs were scored during a tense 70-ball period, as the Aussies launched a fightback after being dismissed for 212 shortly after the tea break on the first day. Video Player is loading. Play Video Play Unmute Current Time 0:00 / Duration -:- Loaded : 0% Stream Type LIVE Seek to live, currently behind live LIVE Remaining Time - 0:00 This is a modal window. Beginning of dialog window. Escape will cancel and close the window. Text Color White Black Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Background Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Opaque Semi-Transparent Transparent Window Color Black White Red Green Blue Yellow Magenta Cyan Transparency Transparent Semi-Transparent Opaque Font Size 50% 75% 100% 125% 150% 175% 200% 300% 400% Text Edge Style None Raised Depressed Uniform Dropshadow Font Family Proportional Sans-Serif Monospace Sans-Serif Proportional Serif Monospace Serif Casual Script Small Caps Reset restore all settings to the default values Done Close Modal Dialog End of dialog window. Advertisement Next Stay Close ✕ The Proteas ended the day in all sorts of trouble on 43/4 – 169 runs in arrears – after they were unable to combat Australians' relentless attack with the ball. The South Africans hardly landed a punch, never mind throwing one during their time at the crease. They just tried to survive, instead of trying something to get these Australians off their line and length. As we saw in the first innings, trying to survive on this pitch is not the way to go, as Steve Smith showed during his knock when he counter-punched after the Aussies also lost early wickets. But the Proteas under Conrad fought back from these situations on many occasions over the last year, coming back from a similar shaky start on a seaming pitch against Sri Lanka in Durban to win that match. The same thing happened against the same opposition in Gqeberha. In those matches the Proteas counter-punched brilliantly, getting themselves off the ropes to land some telling blows which set up victories in both matches. Of course, the Aussie bowling line-up is a lot better than Sri Lanka's attack, but a similar mindset is needed to try and repair the damage that was inflicted in the last hour on the first day at Lord's.
TimesLIVE
3 hours ago
- TimesLIVE
In a WTC of tight margins Ngidi's lack of discipline costly for Proteas
South Africa won't apportion blame to one player for the tricky position they found themselves in at the end of the first day, but it was hard not to watch Australia's attack give the Proteas batters absolutely nothing in the last session of play on Wednesday and not think: 'What was Lungi Ngidi doing?' Steve Smith and Kagiso Rabada explained how difficult the Lord's surface was for batting. It nipped and moved around a lot, said Rabada. 'It offered something all day,' said Smith. But where Australia's attack conceded two or less runs per over, and Rabada, Marco Jansen and Wiaan Mulder were all 3.5 runs or less when they bowled, Ngidi's economy rate of 5.62 sticks out like a sore thumb. He certainly bowled like someone with an injured digit. Smith said Australia's batters didn't deliberately counterattack after lunch, when their scoring rate shot up to 4.7 runs an over. 'We got a few more loose balls that we could put away,' he said. Those primarily were delivered by Ngidi, who conceded seven boundaries. 'They didn't miss their lengths and they bowled really well,' Rabada said of the Australians. In a match where the margins are so tight Ngidi's lack of discipline, his inability to control neither line nor length in conditions in which the ball moved more for the South Africans than it did for the Australians — because of the cloud cover — is unforgivable. 'We thought probably 160 is what we should have had them at,' Rabada said of Australia's first innings total of 212. Ngidi conceded 45 runs in his eight overs and there were also 10 no balls, five from Wiaan Mulder. Before the Test, Temba Bavuma said Ngidi's selection over Dane Paterson was 'one of the tougher decisions that have been made.' Paterson bowled superbly when called upon at home last summer — claiming two five wicket hauls — while Ngidi has only played in two Tests during Shukri Conrad's tenure as coach. The decision was a tactical one Bavuma explained, outlining how Ngidi's height could cause trouble on a surface where the bounce might get tricky later and that he bowls quicker than Paterson. The trouble is, that being taller and faster means nothing when the basic demands of Test match bowling aren't adhered to. Ngidi may look in better shape than he has for a long time, but he simply doesn't bowl enough at domestic first class level to warrant a start in the Test team. The two Tests he's played under Conrad — one against India at the start of 2024, and then last August against the West Indies — are the only two first class matches he's played since December 2022. On social media, Dale Steyn pointed out that Ngidi's run up 'needs serious work.' 'He starts good the first half and unfortunately by the time he hits the second half he's almost dropped in speed and momentum, pedestrian really, [he's then] forced to then use his body and action for pace. It's then always a fight to deliver consistency,' Steyn tweeted.
The Star
3 hours ago
- The Star
High work-rate vital for Bulls to stop up-tempo Leinster in their tracks in URC final, says Marcell Coetzee
Ashfak Mohamed | Published 2 hours ago The Bulls opened the scoring in both their previous United Rugby Championship finals and lost. So, perhaps the Pretoria side should let Leinster grab the early lead in Saturday's title decider at Croke Park in Dublin (6pm SA time kick-off) if they want to enjoy a case of third time lucky. But having endured the heartache of two defeats, such experiences would have given them the necessary knowledge to handle a similar situation against Leinster this weekend. Perhaps being written off by everyone outside Pretoria may also spur on Jake White's team. But while emotion – Cornal Hendricks' passing will also inspire the Bulls – has a place in a final, it is also about ensuring that you heed the lessons from the past. So, the visitors cannot afford to let an early lead slip this time, or concede yellow cards, like they did in the semi-final win over the Sharks last week. 'I think if I take that first final (18-13 defeat against the Stormers), think we scored off the bat probably like three, four minutes in the game,' loose forward Marcell Coetzee said from Dublin on Wednesday. 'So, we had a good start in the game and we were going well at first, but it just showed you (that) you can't rely on those moments. 'I thought we just might have missed the kicking game in that second half particularly. And that's how we let the Stormers in that day. They used the opportunities. We had a man down in the bin as well. 'And then the second game (last year's 21-16 loss to Glasgow), again great start, and we built on that. But you can't let the opposition in. That's what I meant by soft moments. 'You can't let them really in, and then let them get the ascendancy and momentum. 'It's going to come down to moments, and how we manage it and how calm and collected in control we are. It's all about managing that. 'That comes with experience, and I think over the course of the seasons, that's really been very beneficial for our team.' Coetzee may be asked to pack down at No 8 in the absence of the injured Cameron Hanekom on Saturday, and it shouldn't be an issue for the 34-year-old to fulfil. His energetic ball-carries and high work-rate on defence will be vital if the Bulls hope to stop the relentless Leinster attack. The Irish giants love to stretch the opposition defence early on, and the South Africans will have to be wide awake to prevent conceding points in the opening quarter. At the same time, they need to impose themselves on proceedings as well and force Leinster to make a lot of tackles too. That's where Coetzee, Cobus Wiese and Jan-Hendrik Wessels need to front up with ball-in-hand to create holes for dangerous backs such as David Kriel and Canan Moodie. 'That's the uniqueness about the Leinster team. When they get it right on the day, they can really light it up. That's part of our job,' Coetzee said. 'We need to nullify it as best as possible by certain things we identified. Look, I think there's a time and a place for everything. 'It's all about playing in the right areas. 'There will be times where we want to make the game quick and controlled and tempo, but there's also times to settle it and see where we can go from here, being composed and having good management on the day. 'Playing against a quality side like Leinster, you can't afford to have one guy or two guys in the bin. 'You need all the feet on the pitch, and it's going to take a work-rate to stop their onslaught. 'You don't want to let the guy next to you down by being reckless and stuff. 'That and soft moments we need to cut out in our game, and just building on our DNA that's been working for us this whole season.'
