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New Zealand U20 score in dying minutes to draw with South Africa U20

Dylan Pledger of New Zealand in action. Photo by Albert Perez/Getty Images

An hour and a half before the first-ever The Rugby Championship U20 match kicked off, Sunshine Coast Stadium staff were out on the field with leaf blowers and brooms trying to shift the many, many puddles draped across the field.

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The “Sunshine Coast” had provided some substandard conditions for the momentous occasion, but as the teams walked out past the large, shiny trophy, the rain relented.

It would end up being a classically tight test between the two famous rivals, with a scoring burst in the third quarter handing South Africa a slim lead that was matched with 90 seconds to go.

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The challenge the conditions would pose was evident from the kickoff, with the drop kick barely making it off the grass leading to a wobbly kick that floated the way of New Zealand’s Liam Jack.

It was New Zealand who won a penalty on the opening scrum but the Kiwis lost their first lineout with a wayward throw pulled up by the referee.

Water sprayed off the pitch with every step and each catch took some concentration, leading to plenty of kicks. With the wind behind the Kiwis in the first half, territory tended to favour the young men in black.

South Africa dislodged the ball in defence a couple of times and when play broke down, the teams looked to attack but a lack of traction made that a tall task.

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New Zealand’s ill-discipline around the ruck saw them penalised a few times but the touch-finding kicks from South Africa only made it so far up the sideline.

As the half-hour mark neared, the scores were still tied, but with the conditions on New Zealand’s side in the first half, that scoreline would have to be considered a win for the South Africans if it were to remain that way when the half-time whistle was blown.

That’s when New Zealand’s Impressive fullback Isaac Hutchinson stepped up to the tee and secured the first points of the game. The youngster had proven to be New Zealand’s most dangerous player with the ball in hand with his early touches prior to becoming the first player to score points in this new competition.

While New Zealand continued to claim strong field position, their poor lineout execution and South Africa’s defence saw chance after chance go begging.

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A penalty attempt in near identical position to the first one went New Zealand’s way to end the half but after the ball fell over in the wind, Hutchinson reset and sliced it right. That left the South Africans in just a 3-0 deficit at halftime.

Halftime saw the brooms come out once again as puddles were dispersed. The rain was yet to make an appearance during play.

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The second half started with a fast-paced attacking sequence from New Zealand, and while the wind favoured the South Africans, it was the Kiwis who continued to win the territory battle, keeping pressure on their opponents.

14 minutes into the second period the set piece continued to be a mixed bag but both teams were growing into the game and enjoying a slightly less sodden field.

Play broke open when New Zealand’s reserve first five-eighth Rico Simpson delivered a floating long ball to the waiting arms of left winger Stanley Solomon who had the pace to finish in the corner. The try went unconverted.

This however sparked the South African team to life and some attacking ambition proved profitable as they pressed deep into the New Zealand half. That advance was rewarded with three points but it wouldn’t be long before they added some more.

Slipping through a number of Kiwi defenders, offload after offload the South Africans pulled together a remarkable passage of play that was finished by right-winger Joel Leotlela. A successful conversion made it 10-8 in favour of the South Africans.

The momentum continued as South Africa pressed deep into New Zealand territory once more, utilising the wind and their renewed confidence. New Zealand struggled with the pace and power of the South African surge and conceded another penalty, leading to the lead being extended to 13-8.

Another penalty attempt went ary with 10 minutes to go, leaving New Zealand with a chance. That proved to be just the break the Kiwis needed and Solomon found space down the left wing, covering 60 metres before offloading. The play ended in a yellow card for reserve South African lock JF Van Heerden after a cross-field kick was dropped right on the try line by Kiwi winger Frank Vaenuku.

Play remained deep in the South African half in the dying minutes, and with just 90 seconds remaining Vaenuku made amends for his dropped ball minutes earlier by collecting the ball wide and scoring in the corner.

Play would resume following the conversion attempt, but Simpson pushed it wide leaving the game tied.

72 seconds of frantic play followed but neither team could break the deadlock and South Africa ultimately decided to bring the game to a close. Fulltime score 13-13.

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Comments

9 Comments
A
Andrew 296 days ago

Some silly trolling in the comments.

f
finn 296 days ago

any chance either team will improve on their u20 world cup performances this time around? I assume both sides will be deeply disappointed with how things went.

G
Gert 296 days ago

Nz should have won.
I didn't watch the game, but the ref was at fault and the bounce of the ball and the Bokke used the Bomb squad and the Bokke slow the game down and the Bokke scrum. They should remove the scrum. The Bokke are to strong. Not fair. Nz should have won

L
Lou Cifer 296 days ago

Thanks for a much more balanced piece Ned and not that BS that Bin Smuth just posted a short while ago. read this article and then Bin Smuth’s and tell me there isn’t a huge difference🙄

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J
JW 1 hour ago
Where is the new breed of All Black 10?

Players like Prendergast and Finn Smith already have a few seasons at top club level under their belt and are now test players, at an age when NZ players make their debuts in SR.

That’s just a difference in standards. You’re confusing SR for being their local domestic comps, where it’s more accurately comparable to Champions Cup, apart from that teams are happy to throw games as it’s in a bit of a limbo in terms of importance atm.


All these kids have been playing for a comparable NPC team for years now. Sam is no where near ready for tests but he has a great temperament, much like Sextons, that makes it a good choice to speed up his development. He wasn’t even a comparable Super Rugby starter before playing for Ireland, so not a great comparison.


Fin would be much better example, but then England don’t have 3 world class Test tens in front of him (not that I’d put Beauden their but obviously in terms of young NZ players chances, he is). Would he otherwise have debuted at the same age as Fergus Burke (injury and leaving withstanding), around 24, a couple of years later? England also aren’t as pedantic to who they give jerseys to, in NZ a test jersey is very hard earned for the most part.


In general I think the effects are as you say, but the only difference is the money involved, as you yourself said, their paths are just as all over the show being loaned out playing for clubs etc. My solution to that, and what you perceive as the problem, would be to introduce university football that utilitizes the large investment they have into high performance sport.

88 Go to comments
J
Jennifer Ross 4 hours ago
One rule for Europe's copycats, another for the Springboks

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Regards.

28 Go to comments
J
Jennifer Ross 4 hours ago
One rule for Europe's copycats, another for the Springboks

The topic of recovery services and the efficacy of Wizard Hilton Cyber Tech warrants a closer examination. Recovery services are a critical component of any comprehensive cybersecurity strategy, as they provide the means to restore systems, data, and operations in the event of a breach or other disruptive incident. Wizard Hilton Cyber Tech is a leading provider in this space, offering a suite of advanced recovery solutions designed to ensure business continuity and mitigate the potentially devastating impacts of cyber attacks. At the core of their offerings is a robust, AI-driven platform that continuously monitors systems, detects anomalies, and triggers rapid, automated recovery procedures. This allows organizations to bounce back quickly, often with minimal downtime or data loss. Wizard Hilton’s approach also emphasizes the importance of comprehensive testing and simulation, putting recovery protocols through their paces to validate effectiveness and uncover potential weaknesses. Additionally, their team of seasoned cybersecurity experts provides hands-on guidance, tailoring solutions to the unique needs of each client. By combining cutting-edge technology with deep industry expertise, Wizard Hilton Cyber Tech has established itself as a trusted partner in the realm of recovery services, empowering organizations to safeguard their most valuable digital assets and ensure business resilience in the face of ever-evolving cyber threats. Contact: for assistance,

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28 Go to comments
J
JW 4 hours ago
Where is the new breed of All Black 10?

JJ and DMac shows how little attention you actually pay to the substance of the articles.

What do you mean by that? For lack of an answer from you I’d suggest yuo need to look at the game again and then read your article. Because although I’m not going to again but I did quickly review the videos and they all match correctly with my perception.

JTPL is shifting towards overseas players being JQP in future

No they’re not, thats a flatout lie Nick. You can find an article on here with their CEO where they want more out of their deals but it’s standard professional sports fair, nothing underhand like the NH does. I find that quite foul that you would share such a view.


I suppose the new World Club League thats starting would die for the best ABs even for just a year, and probably set them up even better. Mo’unga hadn’t done enough to earn a sabbatical though. This is where NZR needs to start questioning itself. You can’t blame the player if the NZR are not even interesting in offering you a contract. In situations where say NZR aren’t able to reach 70% of the offer I think a great starting point would be for them to be treated differently than someone who just left for money. NZR could say make that player immediately eligible if NZR decide to make a fair offer and they sign to return, with players putting in their overseas contracts a right to leave early if they resign back with NZR.


Even with Japans fading desire for sabbaticals I still think NZ can make it a good destination and have many reciprocal agreements with JRFU and the JRLO teams. The situation still very much favours NZ and Australia but it’s upto them to make the most of it or the JRFU won’t see any reason to be the ones always giving the favours.

88 Go to comments
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