Junior Boks end 13-year wait for World Rugby U20 Championship title
Junior Boks exerted pressure straight from the kick-off, forcing New Zealand to kick the ball out in their own 22.
Having been so impressive during their tournament with their incisive back play, this time the Junior Boks proved they could play more directly too, Xola Nyali scoring the game's first try from a driving maul.
They then produced an incredible defensive set to keep out New Zealand phase after phase. But South Africa were eventually penalised and from the resulting lineout, New Zealand came up with a clever trick play for Jayden Sa to touch down in the corner.
Look at the scenes at full-time 🤩
The Junior Boks end their 13-year wait to win the #WorldRugbyU20s title 🇿🇦🏆 #SSRugby pic.twitter.com/2iBLMZZeLw
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) July 19, 2025
Time and space on the ball was rare as the teams cancelled each defensively, combining impressive speed with dominant tackling.
South Africa edged further ahead with a Vusi Moyo penalty, but they couldn't capitalise when New Zealand lost Mosese Bason to a yellow card, upgraded to a 20-minute red.
After Moyo made it 13-5 from the kicking tee, South Africa lost Albertus Bester to a yellow card of their own to even up the numbers and leave the game still in the balance at half-time.
It was New Zealand who started the second half on the front foot, but they had to make do with three points from a Rico Simpson penalty after more heroic South Africa defence.
The gap was down to five points, a one-score game. As the tension rose, errors from both teams began to creep in. But South Africa were beginning to gain dominance in the scrum. Another penalty from Moyo made it 16-8 as the final quarter approached,
The Junior Boks get their try ⚡
Haashim Pead spots the space and Jaco Williams finishes it off 💪💪 #SSRugby | #WorldRugbyU20s pic.twitter.com/QhNiNWB7Ht
— SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) July 19, 2025
From the next dominant scrum, Hassiem Pead appeared to have scored the decisive try, only for the referee to rule it out. Another scrum, another South Africa penalty – but this time Voyo pulled his kick wide, his first miss of the night.
With New Zealand losing a second player to the sin bin, South Africa began to turn the screw in open play too.
It was fitting that the decisive try was made by a moment of genius from Pead – arguably the player of the tournament.
The scrum-half's inch-perfect kick ahead was touched down in the corner by Gilermo Mentoe. This time, Voyo made no mistake with his kick, the conversion taking the lead out to more than two scores.
There was still time for New Zealand to grab a consolation try through Maloni Kunawave but their wait for a first U20 title since 2014 will go on for at least another year.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The South African
5 hours ago
- The South African
Sharks, WP remain winless, Bulls humbled
The past weekend delivered another round of thrilling Currie Cup Premier Division action, headlined by the Boland Kavaliers, who secured their third win of the campaign by defeating the Bulls 28-20 on Sunday in Wellington, while there were also important victories for the Lions, Cheetahs, and Griquas. Griquas saw off a spirited challenge from the Hollywoodbets Sharks XV to run out 26-17 winners in Kimberley on Friday. On Saturday in Nelspruit, the Lions edged the Pumas 36-35, while Western Province went down 31-24 to the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein. With the single-round competition now past the halfway stage, the Cheetahs have moved into pole position with 16 league points, the same amount as second-placed Boland, who have a slightly weaker points differential. Griquas and the Lions each have 15 points and three wins to their credit – the same number of victories as the Cheetahs and Boland. The top four are followed by the Pumas (13 points), Bulls (10 points), and WP and the Sharks XV, who both have a single point and are still winless after four rounds. Griquas continued their impressive home form, securing a hard-fought 26-17 victory over the Hollywoodbets Sharks XV at the Suzuki Stadium in Kimberley on Friday. This win, clinched with four tries to two, marked Griquas' third triumph – all at home – in four league outings. The Sharks XV took an early lead with a penalty goal from Junior Bok flyhalf Vusi Moyo in the 14th minute, but Griquas responded with a try from Caleb Abrahams, converted by George Whitehead, to nudge ahead 7-3, while the visitors' Nick Hatton was in the sin bin. Moyo's SA U20 halfback partner Ceano Everson then managed to score a try, converted by Moyo, to give them a 10-7 half-time lead. Griquas ramped up the pressure in the second half, with Lourens Oosthuizen scoring a crucial try in the 54th minute, though the conversion was missed. The Sharks XV briefly regained momentum with a converted try from Diego Appollis in the 58th minute. However, ill-discipline cost them dearly, with Junior Bok loose forward Matt Romao receiving a yellow card and Jean Smith following suit just before the end. Griquas capitalised on these advantages, with Dylan Maart crossing for a try in the 61st minute before Cameron Hufke sealed the victory with another converted score six minutes from full-time. The hosts' Lourens Oosthuizen was also shown a yellow card, but they were deserving winners for their third win on the bounce after losing away to the Pumas in their opening-round fixture. In a pulsating clash at Nelspruit Rugby Club, the Lions secured a dramatic 36-35 victory over the Pumas. The Joburgers' triumph came after a narrow loss to Boland in the previous round, while the men from Mpumalanga, fresh off a fantastic win against the Bulls, will be left to rue a missed opportunity at home. They were, however, able to earn two valuable bonus points for scoring four tries and losing by a single point. The first half was a try-fest, with both teams exchanging blows. The Pumas opened the scoring through Ruwald Van Der Merwe, converted by Danrich Visagie. The Lions quickly responded with tries from Kelly Mpeku and Angelo Davids, both converted by Lubabalo Dobela. Not to be outdone, the Pumas added further five-pointers from Ross Braude and Darren Adonis, with Visagie adding the extras. The Lions' Renzo du Plessis then crossed, converted by Dobela, to ensure the teams went into half-time deadlocked at 21-21. The second half continued in the same high-tempo fashion. The visitors edged ahead with a penalty goal from Dobela, followed by tries from Dylan Sjoblom and a second for stalwart Du Plessis, with Dobela adding two more points via a conversion. The Pumas fought back valiantly, with Jan-Henning Campher and Tiaan Pretorius scoring late tries, both converted by Visagie, but it wasn't enough to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat as the penalty goal by Dobela proved to be the difference in the end. The Cheetahs, despite ending the match with 13 men, secured a gritty 31-24 bonus-point victory over Western Province at Toyota Stadium on Saturday afternoon. This win continues the Free Staters' strong run, while WP earned their first point of the season despite remaining winless. The hosts started with intent as wing Cohen Jasper opened the scoring with a converted try, and flanker Mihlali Mosi added another, pushing them to a 12-3 lead. Western Province, however, showed resilience, with flyhalf Jurie Matthee slotting a penalty goal and Blitzbok speedster Shilton van Wyk scoring a converted try just before half-time, narrowing the deficit to 12-10. The Cheetahs extended their lead after the breakthrough a quick tap try from Banie Britz and a bonus-point try from lock Juan Venter. Then a superb counter-attacking effort, finished by No 8 Neels Volschenk, stretched their advantage to 31-10. However, the Cape outfit staged a spirited comeback which saw Jared Africa and Enos Ndiao scoring converted tries, reducing the gap to 31-24. The Cheetahs' discipline then faltered, with centre Marco Jansen van Vuren receiving a second yellow, turned into a red card, and replacement hooker Marko Janse van Rensburg also seeing a yellow late on. Despite being down to 13 men, the Cheetahs bravely held on against a surging WP, who squandered late chances, securing a vital five points. On Sunday, the Boland Kavaliers' dream season continued after they managed to beat the Bulls 28-20 at a sold-out Boland Stadium in Wellington to move into the top two places of the Currie Cup Premier Division. Hawies Fourie's team trailed 12-7 at half-time and also fell 20-14 behind in the second half of an incident-packed encounter, but despite their indiscretions which saw them earning four yellow cards, they showed enormous character to stay in the fight. The Kavaliers eventually reeled the powerful visiting team in and held off the visitors' rally in the end to secure their biggest win to date, adding the Bulls' scalp to that of the Cheetahs and the Lions. Sidney Tobias, the prolific Donavan Don, Kwezi Mafu, and former Bulls front ranker Dayan van der Westhuizen each scored a try, while playmaker Ashlon Davids added four conversions to keep them in touch with the visitors despite the four yellow cards. Blitzbok Don, the top try scorer in the competition this season, wrestled his way over the whitewash despite the Bulls' defence to score his seventh try of the competition. The meeting was a feisty affair, with the Kavaliers matching the Bulls' famed physicality. With the visitors also losing two players to the sin bin, a total of six yellow cards were flashed in this crunch match. Doctor Booysen, Louis Schreuder, Michael Benadie, and Godlen Masimla were the Kavaliers players shown yellow cards, while Cornel Smit and Junior Bok hooker Siphosethu Mnebelele received cards on the Bulls' side. This coming weekend, the Pumas and Boland kick off the round-five action when they meet from 17:00 in Nelspruit, before the Sharks XV and WP go head-to-head from 19:10 in a match that will hand the winner their first victory this season. On Saturday, the Cheetahs face the Lions from 14:00 in Bloemfontein, while the Bulls and Griquas round up the action on Sunday in their 15:00 kick-off in Pretoria. Griquas 26-17 Hollywoodbets Sharks XV Griquas – Tries: Caleb Abrahams, Dylan Maart, Lourens Oosthuizen, Gurshwin Wehr. Conversions: George Whitehead (3) Sharks XV – Tries: Ceano Everson, Diego Appollis. Conversions: Moyo (2). Penalty goal: Moyo Pumas 35-36 Lions Pumas – Tries: Ruwald van der Merwe, Ross Braude, Darren Adonis, Jan-Henning Campher, Tiaan Pretorius. Conversions: Danrich Visagie (5) Lions – Tries: Kelly Mpeku, Angelo Davids, Renzo du Plessis (2), Dylan Sjoblom. Conversions: Lubabalo Dobela (4). Penalty goal: Dobela Cheetahs 31-24 Western Province Cheetahs – Tries: Cohen Jasper, Mihlali Mosi, Banie Britz, Juan Venter, Neels Volschenk. Conversions: Jasper (3) WP – Tries: Shilton van Wyk, Jared Africa, Enos Ndiao; Conversions: Jurie Matthee, Tristan Leyds (2). Penalty goal: Matthee Boland Kavaliers 28-20 Bulls Boland – Tries: Sidney Tobias, Donavan Don, Khwezi Mafu, Dayan van der Westhuizen. Conversions: Ashlon Davids (4) Bulls – Tries: Jean Erasmus, Jaco Grobbelaar, Nama Xaba. Conversion: Boeta Chamberlain. Penalty goal: Chamberlain Let us know by leaving a comment below, or send a WhatsApp to 060 011 021 1 Subscribe to The South African website's newsletters and follow us on WhatsApp, Facebook, X and Bluesky for the latest news.
The Citizen
3 days ago
- The Citizen
Junior Springbok captain Norton to make Western Province debut
The Junior Springbok skipper Riley Norton will make his senior bow in Western Province's Currie Cup clash against the Cheetahs. Junior Springbok captain Riley Norton, who lifted the World Rugby U20 Championship trophy less than a month ago, will make his senior debut for Western Province in their Currie Cup clash against the Cheetahs in Bloemfontein on Saturday afternoon (kick-off 2pm). The 19-year-old Norton, who played at lock for the SA U20s, will start at blindside flank for Province, while his fellow Junior Bok teammate Gino Cupido also comes into the side at outside centre. The Cape side has been decimated by injuries over the past few weeks, and has had to make a number of changes to their side, including losing captain Zain Davids, with Gideon van Wyk coming in for him at openside flank, while Louw Nel stays at eighthman to round out the back three of the pack. Lock Gary Porter takes over the captaincy from Davids and features in an unchanged tight five, while hooker Luca Bakkes and loose forward Enos Ndiao come onto the replacements bench.\ Backline In the backline, Joel Leotlela is on the left wing and will link up with Sevens stars Shilton van Wyk and Tristan Leyds in a speedy back three, while Cupido will partner Damian Markus in midfield. Head Coach Labeeb Levy said that his team is fully focused on producing an 80-minute performance in Bloemfontein, especially with the team struggling at the bottom of the Currie Cup table with no wins and no points from their opening three games. 'We have got some incredibly talented players coming in this week and they are surrounded by a settled core who are ready to raise the standards in every area. 'Travelling to Bloemfontein is always a big challenge, but it is one we are embracing. We will need to be on our game from the first to the last whistle to get the result we need,' he said. Western Province XV Tristan Leyds, Shilton van Wyk, Gino Cupido, Damian Markus, Joel Leotlela, Jurie Matthee, Asad Moos, Louw Nel, Riley Norton, Gideon van Wyk, Gary Porter (c), Alex Groves, Zachary Porthen, Scarra Ntubeni, Mhleli Khuzwayo. Bench: Luca Bakkes, Oliver Reid, Herman Lubbe, Adam de Waal, Enos Ndiao, Ezekiel Ngobeni, Luke Burger, Jared Africa.
IOL News
4 days ago
- IOL News
Bryan Habana praises South Africa's wingers ahead of Rugby Championship opener
Former Springbok wing Bryan Habana is delighted to see the Bok wingers dominate the scene in world rugby ahead of their opening Rugby Championship Test against Australia in Johannesburg. Image: Backpagepix Springbok legend Bryan Habana is thrilled that South Africa's dynamic wingers are being given the freedom to shine on the rugby field, a sentiment he expressed as the Boks prepare for their Rugby Championship opener against Australia at Ellis Park on Saturday. Habana, known for his own phenomenal wing play, is especially excited about the talents of Cheslin Kolbe, Kurt-Lee Arendse, and Edwill van der Merwe, who, alongside the experienced Makazole Mapimpi, are setting the rugby world alight with their performances. Arendse and Van der Merwe are primed to feature as the wings in this crucial match in Johannesburg (5.10 pm start), marking a significant moment in their careers. 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 ✕ Ad loading Habana, speaking at the Peregrine Capital X Rugby Centurions launch party, is excited for what is to come from the Boks and their pocket rockets. 'They are redefining how people see wing play,' Habana said about the scrum-capped hotsteppers of the Boks. 'Edwill could become the first Springbok to score tries in his first four matches, and I always tell people, records are there to be broken. If I look at what Cheslin is doing, Kurt-Lee and Makazole and how they've been given that platform to showcase their talents and individualism, it is phenomenal. 'As a fan, it is brilliant to see how those who have been given the opportunity in the Springbok team are going out and performing. Long may that continue, and records be broken.' On the verge of rewriting history ✍️ No Springbok player has ever scored in his first four matches, with a few coming close.. Edwill van der Merwe will look to become the first when he takes to the field in his next game 👀#SSRugby | #TheRugbyChampionship — SuperSport Rugby (@SSRugby) August 5, 2025 Van der Merwe will look to grasp the opportunity of breaking that try-scoring record in his first Test against Australia. The 29-year-old took the road less travelled into the Bok setup but has shown his worth in his first three matches. Habana backs him to make history at his former provincial hunting ground. 'Edwill has been playing incredible rugby over the last six or seven years. He grafted hard and is a player who puts himself in positions to surprise opposition. It is no small feat that he is where he is in terms of his success rate. 'His off-the-mark speed is excellent, his vision to pop up where opponents do not expect him to, and his power-to-weight ratio is up there with Cheslin. He wears his heart on his sleeve, and that is brilliant. 'It is a phenomenal opportunity to create some rugby history.'
