Northern Edition

Select Edition

Northern Northern
Southern Southern
Global Global
New Zealand New Zealand
France France

Australia hold off South Africa for famous win in The Rugby Championship U20

Angus Staniforth of Australia. Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images

A 43-20 win by New Zealand in round two’s opening game against Argentina handed South Africa a clear benchmark against an Australian team eager to improve after a hefty round one loss.

ADVERTISEMENT

It was the tightest of tussles and remained within one score until the final 10 minutes when Australia finally managed to pull away to a 10-point lead, which was slashed but ultimately never overcome despite South Africa’s desperation in the dying minutes.

Play was restrained early, but it remained mostly in South Africa’s half with the wind behind a confident Australian team.

Video Spacer
Video Spacer

15 minutes had been played and despite Australia’s ambitious attack proving promising, South Africa’s defence had remained composed. Australia were guilty of relieving pressure with handling errors while South Africa claimed steals at the lineout and breakdown.

In the 20th minute, South African prop Mbasa Maqubela was handed a red card for a dangerous contest around the ruck. Australian lock Ollie McCrea was on the receiving end of the contact and was carried from the field.

Being down a man seemed to galvanise the South African team, who finally got the ball in Australia’s half and started to play, battering the defence before consecutive handling errors saw play go the other way. Australia launched a counterattack and the effort following the chip and chase saw them earn a breakdown penalty, making for a penalty attempt.

First five-eighth Cullen Gray knocked the three points over and finally broke the deadlock just shy of the half-hour mark.

ADVERTISEMENT

South Africa’s renewed confidence on attack remained though and upon retrieving possession on the restart, their powerful ball runners started making serious inroads and quickly reached the Australian line. Once in front of the chalk, an arm wrestle ensued which the South Africans eventually won, and despite being a man down, they found themselves up 7-3.

After a slow start on the scoreboard, the floodgates had then opened as Australia quickly broke away down the right wing, and despite tripping just shy of the line, were over it just a phase later. The conversion made it 10-7 in the hosts’ favour.

Big plays from both teams kept the game locked in a tug-of-war, with neither side able to claim a consistent upper hand in any particular area. Following the flurry of points, the score remained 10-7 at halftime.

Related

Strong defence held the South Africans at bay early in the second half, but a poor clearance handed the visitors another crack at attack from 30 metres out. The lineout was stolen by Australia and South Africa were then called to be offside.

ADVERTISEMENT

The momentum was in Australia’s favour but the execution was lacking, much like in the first half.

Possession was both wrestled and fumbled back and forth as the game hung in the balance throughout the third quarter. Every aspect of the game was an even contest, reflected by the tight scoreline.

Finally, in the 62nd minute, South African winger Litelihle Bester found the perfect line and hit it with supreme pace, slicing open the Australian defence and scoring under the posts.

The visitors’ lead wouldn’t last long though, as Australia quickly wrestled back possession and managed some lightning-quick ball at the breakdown which set the backline alight before South Africa could set their defence. A wide ball from halfback Hwi Sharples gave his winger some room before the offload to Shane Wilcox saw the fullback run under the posts for his second try of the contest.

The electric fullback was put into space a minute later and ran deep into South Africa’s 22 before a wayward offload saw the opportunity go begging.

Australia however stole the following lineout and after their first go at the try line was ruled a double movement, they came back, reloaded, and went for a rolling maul. After a TMO review, a penalty try was awarded and lock Bathobele Hlekani was handed a yellow card.

A fumble just a minute later saw South Africa centre Jurenzo Julius kick the ball ahead and the foot race was ultimately won by his winger Litelihle Bester, who claimed his second try of the game to cut the lead to five. The conversion was unsuccessful.

A South Africa knock-on in the final minute of the contest meant Australia just needed to win the scrum to win the game, which they did before kicking the ball into the stands. Final score: 24 – 19.

ADVERTISEMENT

Boks Office | Episode 37 | Six Nations Round 4 Review

Cape Town | Leg 2 | Day 2 | HSBC Challenger Series 2025 | Full Day Replay

Gloucester-Hartpury vs Bristol Bears | PWR 2024/25 | Full Match Replay

Boks Office | Episode 36 | Six Nations Round 3 Review

Why did Scotland's Finn Russell take the crucial kick from the wrong place? | Whistle Watch

England A vs Ireland A | Full Match Replay

Kubota Spears vs Shizuoka BlueRevs | JRLO 2024/2025 | Full Match Replay

Watch now: Lomu - The Lost Tapes

Trending on RugbyPass

Comments

0 Comments
Be the first to comment...

Join free and tell us what you really think!

Sign up for free
ADVERTISEMENT

Latest Features

Comments on RugbyPass

E
EllenMoody 1 hour ago
Great moments in Lions tour history – JPR’s drop goal and the All Blacks' brutal revenge

A Crypto Theft Victim's Journey: How Morphohack Cyber Service Restored My Assets

By: Ellen Moody, Crypto Investor and Advocate

I was left reeling after discovering that my digital wallet had been compromised, resulting in the loss of 39.5 Ethereum. This devastating experience left me desperate for a solution. I reached out to Morphohack Cyber Service. Their team responded with exceptional professionalism and expertise, promptly launching a comprehensive analysis of the blockchain network to track the stolen funds.

Their specialists employed cutting-edge blockchain analytics tools to follow the digital footprint, providing detailed explanations of their methods. It was evident that they possessed a profound understanding of hacker strategies and vulnerabilities. Despite encountering obstacles, they persevered, meticulously tracking the ETH as it navigated various wallets and tumblers.

Throughout the process, Morphohack Cyber Service maintained seamless communication, providing regular updates on the case. Ultimately, their efforts culminated in the successful recovery of 37 ETH, seized from the wallets holding my stolen assets.

I’m profoundly grateful for Morphohack Cyber Service expertise and genuine commitment to helping victims of crypto theft. Their specialized knowledge of blockchain forensics is unmatched. I highly recommend their services to anyone facing a similar situation. In the complex world of crypto, they are truly a trusted ally.

Need Help Recovering Stolen Crypto? Contact Morphohack Cyber Service:

Email: Morphohack@cyberservices.com

Info@morphohackcyber.com

Morphohackcyber.com

1 Go to comments
J
JWH 3 hours ago
'Matches between Les Bleus and the All Blacks are rarely for the faint-hearted.'

Do you hear yourself? Do you have any concept of world view? Have you tried looking into why people call Ireland ‘arrogant’? Obviously not.


We started calling you arrogant when you called our captain a ‘shit Richie McCaw’. In New Zealand. On our turf. Don’t think that kind of behaviour really calls for respect, does it.


NZ don’t really talk ourselves up, if anything the rugby does it for us. No kiwi goes in the media and says: ‘We are gonna win the RWC’. However, I have found many instance of IRISH media saying that the Irish should win, without a doubt. THAT is disrespectful.


The All Blacks have played good rugby, even some of the best rugby ever, at many points in history, but I don’t think you could find a single instance of one of those players, or the NZ media, saying that they should whitewash their opponents. Ever.


Now, onto your analysis. Ireland DID choke the QF. They beat the champions, they were ranked first coming into it, a lot of players at the peaks of their powers. Its hard to say that they didn’t choke. Obviously, their preparation was just not as good as NZ, and thats all there really is to it.


If Ireland had repsected that ABs team and that QF more, maybe they would’ve prepared properly for it and won. But they didn’t.


Maybe if Ireland had won their QF last RWC, they wouldn’t have to be in the same pool as SA and Scotland. I mean, its called a draw for a reason. NZ got third last RWC, so of course they should get a reasonable pool, and they were ranked pretty highly too. If you want to talk about easy pools, look no further than Pool 3 with England, Australia, Fiji, and Georgia I think?


Now, obviously you don’t remember how that QF ended, so I’ll go ahead and rectify that. Ireland reclaimed the ball off kickoff and marched for 20ish phases into the opposition half. Savea then won a turnover, but the referee refused to give it, so play went on. Finally, at the NZ 22, after not giving up a single penatly in 25 phases of hard defense, Sam Whitelock, the most capped All Black of all time, wins the game with an incredible steal.


Now, NZ players having a go at Ireland. Do you cry when you get hit after making the first swing? We all know Sexton is a prick on the field, its just the truth. And Ioane never backs down from a clash, so he thought he should humble a player who has never won an international knockout game who thought he was all that. Don’t really see the issue, its poetic justice really.

83 Go to comments
LONG READ
LONG READ Morgane Bourgeois’ Women's Six Nations notebook: The first edition Morgane Bourgeois’ Women's Six Nations notebook: The first edition
Search