Despite the results, the Junior Springboks were gutted in their 31-12 loss to a superior Junior Ireland side in the semi-finals of the Under-20 Rugby World Championship on Sunday night.
Ireland entered the Under-20 Championship after winning the Under-20 Six Nations Grand Slam and proved their class against a brave Junior Boks, who were bested on a chilly evening at Athlone.
South Africa will now play England in the third/fourth place play-off on Friday night at Athlone Stadium, with France and Ireland going into the final after France beat England 52-31 in the other semi-final on Sunday.
Michael Annis of South Africa in the semi-final of the 2023 Rugby World Under-20 Championship against Ireland at Athlone Stadium in Cape Town on July 9, 2023 (Photo: Ashley Fluteman/Gallo Images/World Rugby)
Ireland absorbed relentless early pressure from the Junior Springboks and countered it with two goals from left winger James Nicholson and precision kicking by flyhalf Sam Prendergast, who kept the scoreboard up.
South Africa started the game in promising fashion, with the Irish side sporadically dotting the first half hour, but the final passes did not stick and close shots from the goal line cost the hosts.
Junior Box somehow ended the half without a goal and seven points down despite spending most of the opening forty minutes on Irish soil.
ill discipline
Poor discipline by the Baby Boks allowed Ireland to take the lead. Substitute Yannis Potgieter, replacing the losing striker, received South Africa’s third yellow card of the tournament when he collided with Ireland winger Andrew Osborne after he kicked the ball.
Diarmuid Mangan of Ireland U20 during the 2023 Rugby World Under-20 Championship against South Africa. (Photo: Ashley Fluteman/Gallow Images/World Rugby)
Prendergast kicked a penalty midway through contact deep in South African territory. Ireland turned the ball wide to left winger Nicholson, who finished neatly into the left corner in the 38th minute to eventually break the tie 0–0.
Prendergast, with his kicking boot worn in windy conditions, marked the conversion from the corner.
South Africa forced their way back into Irish territory as the half-time siren sounded, when flyhalf Jean Smith missed a drop goal past defenders to go into the second half with a converted try, despite a dominant opening half.
Tournament quality
South Africa started the second half in a similarly positive fashion, but Smith missed two relatively straight penalties in the first five minutes, and the Boks failed to get the game back.
They kept their foot on the accelerator, however, and got their first point of the match in the 46th minute through scrumhalf Imad Khan, who chipped under the posts.
Regan Isaacs of South Africa in the semi-final of the 2023 Rugby World Under-20 Championship against Ireland at Athlone Stadium in Cape Town on July 9, 2023 (Photo: Ashley Fluteman/Gallo Images/World Rugby)
Replacement full-back Regan Isaacs hit a gap on Ireland’s 22-metre before offloading to his wicket, which was skipped unopposed.
Since then, Ireland has shown the material of the Six Nations, with a 30-minute display of tenacity and mature rugby.
Ireland’s number 8 Brian Gleeson barely got past a minute after Khan scored, making use of a neat linear move to get past the sticks.
After a sustained period of pressure on Junior Box’s try line, Prendergast put in a neat cross kick for Nicholson on the left, who then completed his double.
Paul De Villiers of South Africa protects the ball during the 2023 Rugby World Under-20 Championship against Ireland at Athlone Stadium in Cape Town on July 9, 2023 (Photo: Ashley Fluteman/Gallo Images/World Rugby)
Substitute outside full-back Sam Pearman scored Ireland’s fourth and final try of the day after a neat and quick reaction opened up space on the right.
Prendergast converted all the tries and then kicked a straight penalty to put the game in doubt at 31-7 in the 72nd minute.
Powerful South African forward Coetzee Le Roux made the score even more respectable with a consolation try in the final five minutes, but Smith missed the subsequent conversion.
finals
The final day of the Under-20 Championship will take place on Friday 14 July, with the final and play-off for 3rd/4th place as well as the 5th/6th place match between Wales and Australia taking place at Athlone.
Wales beat Georgia 40-21 at Paarl Gymnasium in Paarl on Sunday to book their place before Australia stunned New Zealand 44-35 at Athlone Stadium.
The two biggest teams throughout the Under-20 Championship, in the four match days so far, will face Ireland and France, in the final.
The two Northern Hemisphere teams were head and shoulders above the opposition, heading into the final as the only undefeated teams. DM
