Latest news with #VusiMoyo
Eyewitness News
a day ago
- Sport
- Eyewitness News
World Rugby U20 Championship: Junior Springboks advance to final
JOHANNESBURG - The Junior Springboks are through to the final of the World Rugby U20 Championship for the first time in 11 years. The South African side beat Argentina 48-24 in the competition's semifinals, in Italy, after scoring six tries while mercurial flyhalf Vusi Moyo kicked over 16 points. SA coach Kevin Foote is in his first year as the team's coach and has achieved the kind of success that has eluded others before him, despite working with talented and highly rated groups. Foote applauded his players' determination and performance to get this far 'Every player gave his all, leading exceptionally well in his respective position. Their collective effort is a testament to their hard work and alignment, with the leadership group setting the tone. I believe they are a truly humble group, and we're well aware of how much effort we've put in leading up to this tournament,' said Foote The Junior Boks will play New Zealand in their first final since 2014 on Saturday, where they'll be aiming for their country's second title after the famous win in Cape Town in 2012. Saturday's final between the Junior Boks and New Zealand in Rovigo will kick off at 20h30 and will be broadcast live on SuperSport.
IOL News
08-07-2025
- Sport
- IOL News
Junior Springboks aim for another strong performance before U20 Championship knockouts
Junior Springbok flyhalf Vusi Moyo will be one of the game-drivers of the team as they take on Scotland in the final pool match of the World Rugby U20 Championship on Wednesday. Image: Maurilio Boldrini / World Rugby With two near-perfect victories in the bag, the Junior Springboks can ill-afford any complacency in their final pool game at the World Rugby U20 Championship in Italy. They face the winless Scotland on Wednesday (3.30 pm kick-off) in Calvisano in the third round of the tournament and after completing victories over Australia (73-17) and defending champions England (32-22) in the first two clashes, they will be primed to finish with a flourish, to head into the knockouts with confidence. It's the perfect opportunity for some fringe players, selected in the starting team, to put their hand up and gain some valuable game time to get them battle-ready for the playoffs, should they be needed. It will also give the team the chance to build more confidence ahead of the semi-finals. 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 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. Next Stay Close ✕ Flyhalf Vusi Moyo, who has been pulling the strings on the attack and with his kicking boot, alongside regular scrumhalf Haashim Pead, will have a new halfback partner in Ceano Everson. The latter only played 13 minutes against England, but looked sharp during his time on the field, so the start is a good reward for him. He will be eager to showcase his strengths to grab the deputy jersey behind Pead ahead of the playoffs. Up front, the lock-pairing of Jaco Grobbelaar and Morne Venter must maintain that physical presence alongside captain Thando Biyela and No 7 flanker Matt Romao in the absence of key forwards who are being rested. The #JuniorBoks have had to make an injury-enforced change to their squad as they prepare for Wednesday's pool clash with a tough Scotland team - more here: 🔁#JourneyToGreatness #WorldRugbyU20s — SA Junior Rugby (@SAJuniorRugby) July 8, 2025 Kevin Foote, Junior Springbok coach, meanwhile, called up utility back Alzeadon Felix to replace the injured winger Siya Ndlozi, looking at the knockouts. Ndlozi pulled up with a tight hamstring against England and the deadly winger's presence will be missed on the field. Felix, though, brings his own qualities and will be a potent addition to the squad. Biyela, who will be standing in for the resting Riley Norton, says they will not deviate from what they've been doing so far in the competition. Top of the pool, but far from done. The #JuniorBoks aim to finish strong against Scotland in their final pool clash 💥#JourneyToGreatness — SA Junior Rugby (@SAJuniorRugby) July 8, 2025
The Herald
07-07-2025
- Sport
- The Herald
Foote praises Junior Boks' character after England victory
Junior Springbok coach Kevin Foote credited his players for their composure and character after they recorded their second pool victory at the World Rugby U20 Championship in Italy with a great win over England in Rovigo on Friday evening. Despite a slow start, the SA U20s remained calm and delivered the knockout blow in a superb opening 10 minutes of the second half, followed by a commanding defensive performance, to beat the defending champions by 32-22. England led 14-0 after 12 minutes but the Junior Boks clawed their way back and at 22-19 behind at the break, they were in the contest. Thirteen unanswered points early in the second half — including a penalty goal of almost 60m by Vusi Moyo and a bonus point try by Haashim Pead for his second brace of the tournament — put the Junior Boks in the pound seats and they repelled England's constant attacks thereafter for a great win. With a full house of 10 log points from their two victories, a spot in the semifinals is within reach, but Foote said they are still building and are only looking at the next match against Scotland on Wednesday. 'We'll take a lot of confidence from this victory, but Scotland are a good side, they ran England close in the Six Nations, and we certainly will not underestimate any team ever — we'll keep our feet on the ground and focus on the next job,' Foote said. 'Having said that, I thought the boys showed massive character tonight to come back from 14-0 down, take the lead with some great attacking play, and then keep England out for the rest of the match. 'I have to applaud the leadership in our team as well — the players never panicked and those two penalty goals by Vusi early in the second half gave us momentum, after which I was super proud of our defence at the end.' Foote said they realise they have to play for the full 80 minutes, and that they are getting closer to that. 'We were a bit slow at the breakdowns early in the game, where we turned over ball that gave England momentum and fatigued us. 'But as a team, we spoke about getting better, the harder the game gets. We remained calm and stuck to getting the next job done, staying with our processes and keeping the scoreboard ticking over. 'I also think our combinations are starting to click on defence, something we identified as an area to work on earlier in the season, and how the guys defended at the end was huge. 'The players deserve credit for their bravery on defence and executing on the field — they showed great character, which is testament to the culture and belief in this team.' SA U20 captain Riley Norton gave England credit for their strong start and said they knew it was going to be a great battle against the defending champions. 'We knew it was going to be tough, but I'm very proud of our defence at the end, as it's something we pride ourselves on as South Africans,' Norton said. 'We're out here giving everything for our country and we're all very proud of the win, but we're still building, and we'll take massive confidence from this game. 'To be honest, it's not quite sunk in yet. We will celebrate tonight, but tomorrow we go again — it's five days until we face Scotland and we have the bigger picture in mind, so we're very excited for the next three games.' The Junior Boks' final Pool A game against Scotland kicks off at 3.30pm in Calvisano, after which the three pool winners and the best-placed team in second position will qualify for the semifinals next Monday. — SA Rugby Communications
The Citizen
05-05-2025
- Sport
- The Citizen
Junior Springboks ring the changes for clash with Australia
Coach Kevin Foote has rotated the squad, being aware of the demands that three internationals played in 11 days will have on the players. Kyle Smith, who shone against Argentina last week, will play from the bench againt Australia on Tuesday. Picture: Richard Huggard/Gallo Images Junior Springbok coach Kevin Foote has made several rotational changes to his starting line-up and included four players who played for the South African U20s last year for their second Rugby Championship U20 match against Australia at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha on Tuesday (kick-off 4.10pm). The Junior Springboks managed to beat Argentina 36–25 in the opening round last Thursday, while Australia forced a late draw against New Zealand, scoring the equalising try after the hooter had sounded. Junior Springboks change line-up Foote has handed starts to JC Mars, Wandile Mlaba, Batho Hlekani and Herman Lubbe, all of whom played for the Junior Springboks last year. The SA U20 coach said it is important to keep their momentum going, manage the load of the players whilst also building squad depth by giving the players exposure to top-class international rugby. 'We play three internationals against quality teams in just 11 days, and with the short turnaround time between matches, we must be smart with our player load management,' Foote said. 'We have good squad depth and it's important for the players to get a taste of international rugby, while we also want to build on our performance against Argentina, knowing that Australia will pose a huge challenge for us.' In the front row, Simphiwe Ngobese and Lubbe will pack down as props on either side of hooker Juandre Schoeman. Riley Norton is retained at lock and will captain the team again, partnering with Morne Venter. The loose forward combination sees Xola Nyali, who had a successful campaign with FNB Varsity Cup champions, UCT, coming onto the side of the scrum at flanker. He teams up with Hlekani, who made a strong impact off the bench in the second half against the Pumitas, while Mlaba is retained at No 8, to complete the loose trio. Kyle Smith out, Vusi Moyo in at flyhalf Amongst the backs there is a new halfback pairing consisting of Ceano Everson (scrumhalf) and Vusi Moyo (flyhalf), while the midfield comprises of Dominic Malgas and Scott Nel. Cheswill Jooste will start again at right wing, and he will be joined in the back three by Siya Ndlozi (left wing) and Mars (fullback). Junior Springboks starting XV: JC Mars, Cheswill Jooste, Scott Nel, Dominic Malgas, Siya Ndlozi, Vusi Moyo, Ceano Everson, Wandile Mlaba, Batho Hlekani, Xola Nyali, Morne Venter, Riley Norton (captain), Herman Lubbe, Juandre Schoeman, Simphiwe Ngobese. Replacements: HB Odendaal, Oliver Reid, Jean Erasmus, Neil Hansen, Thando Biyela, Elrich Visser, Kyle Smith, Gino Cupido.
