Junior Springboks win U20 Rugby Championship title after walloping Wallabies
· The South African
The Junior Springboks clinched the 2026 U20 Rugby Championship title at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha on Sunday with a round of matches remaining after dismantling Australia 56-17 in an impressive display of rugby.
They scored eight tries to three, albeit two of those penalty tries conceded by Australia in an ill-disciplined first half, which saw the Junior Boks take a well-deserved 28-12 half-time lead.
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Yellow cards
The penalty tries also resulted in subsequent yellow cards, and twice the Aussies found themselves down to 13 players. However, they still managed to score a try despite the disadvantage.
That said, it was a day the Junior Springboks will remember fondly and rightfully so, following their disappointment in Gqeberha in last year’s tournament.
They started the match strongly and enjoyed territorial dominance, with good tactical kicking by scrumhalf Hendré Schoeman keeping them going forward and stuck in the Aussies’ faces.
Australia only had one entry into the SA half in that time, and it appeared to be a matter of time before their first points were going to be scored, and it followed in fine fashion.
Slotted the conversion
After fluffing a first lineout, the Junior Springboks opted for a second lineout drive 12 mins in and following a couple of midfield bursts, some sharp passing handed Jack Benade space on the wing and he made no mistake to finish in the corner. Flyhalf Yaqeen Ahmed slotted the conversion to push the hosts 7-0 up.
Australia, in turn, had Leo Jaques (centre) yellow-carded for a high tackle, which left them with a team warning for tackle height.
Credit to them for keeping their attack going, but that was undone at the breakdown – an area in which SA excelled.
The next try was spurred on by the team exploiting the extra attacker, as the ball was moved to wing Khuti Rasivhaga, who ran hard, before a smooth recycle found flanker Wasi Vyambwera in full flight. There was no stopping him, as he crashed over near the uprights to leave Ahmed a simple conversion for a 14-0 lead.
Pinged for pulling down maul
The pack earned a scrum penalty shortly after the restart, but the lineout throw went astray. They repeated the exercise, though, and this time, Australia were pinged for pulling down the maul, and the penalty try by referee Goncalo De Achaval stretched the lead to a commanding 21-0. To compound matters for the Aussies, another yellow card was issued for the offence, just as Jacques returned to the field.
Despite being a man down, Australia kept playing, and a good, sustained attack resulted in a try to flyhalf Finn Mackay, who dummied his way past two defenders near the line. The conversion was good, and after 30 minutes, Australia finally had points on the board.
Another penalty try was awarded to the Junior Springboks, this time when winger Taione Taka slapped down a potential try-scoring pass.
The four tries confirmed the bonus point after 34 minutes, with Australia’s three yellow cards clearly being the topic of conversation in their change room at the break, to add to the seven penalties they conceded.
Talking point
Another talking point would have been how to allow MacKay more space, as he once again worked magic to create a try-scoring opportunity, with winger Riley Whitfeld dotting down.
For Kevin Foote, that try conceded against 13 men, would have been a stern reminder to his charges that they needed to sharpen up their defence around the fringes of the rucks and mauls, especially as most of their 56 tackles made in the opening half were dominant, but none of those on MacKay.
That defence came in handy early in the second half, which showed a more desperate Australian side back on the field. The Aussies attacked strongly early on, but were held up over the SA line, and the Junior Boks could breathe again.
A couple of strong lineout mauls from the Junior Boks brought some parity in play, and this was assisted by good scrummaging by the pack.
They earned two scrum penalties in a row, and when replacement props Oliver Reed and Luan van der Berg came on, the dominance continued.
Bounced off defenders
An inevitable Ethan Adams try, which started with a scrum penalty and a good kick to the line, made the scoreboard much more reflective, pushing the lead to 35-12 after 50 minutes.
Adams ran hard and straight and bounced off some defenders, much to the delight of the supportive crowd.
Ten minutes later, Schoeman, always industrious and alert to attack the blindside, got a personal reward when he bounced out of two tackles to score the sixth try for the Junior Boks. Ahmed converted from the corner, and suddenly their lead was 30 points at 42-12.
The Aussies pulled one back, but Luke Cannon replied in kind as the Junior Boks managed yet another strong lineout maul 68 minutes into the match, extending the lead to 49-17.
The 50 came up when Ahmed, who moved to inside centre, was put into a huge gap by replacement flyhalf, Vusi Moyo, and the try was a well-deserved one to Ahmed, who enjoyed a stellar match.
Scorers
South AfricaTries: Jack Benade, Wasi Vyambwera, Ethan Adams, Luke Cannon, Hendré Schoeman, Yaqeen Ahmed, Penalty Tries (2)
Conversions: Yaqeen Ahmed (4), Vusi Moyo (2)
AustraliaTries: Finn Mackay, Riley Whitfeld, Taione Taka
Conversion: Finn Mackay