Though it was a bittersweet moment for the Junior Boks to lift the U-20 Rugby Championship trophy after being held to a 29-29 draw by arch-rivals New Zealand, valuable lessons were learnt before the World Cup, SA skipper Riley Norton said.
After being crowned world champions in 2025, the Baby Boks added another title to their growing list of achievements in front of 18,138 delighted supporters at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday.
The Boks clinched the title in the 42nd minute when hard-running centre Samuel Badenhorst scored his team’s fourth try.
It was a try that earned the Baby Boks the vital bonus point they required to give themselves an unassailable lead at the top of the log.
New Zealand then launched a ferocious assault on the Bok line and were rewarded with a penalty try which left the teams tied at 29-29 in the 76th minute.
Norton and his team have now switched their focus on the U-20 World Rugby Junior World Championship in Georgia from June 27 to July 18.
“This draw was a bit bittersweet, but I told the guys they can be unbelievably proud of how they represented themselves and the Junior Bok jersey,” Norton said.
“I think we have left this competition in a better place than we did last year.
“We will now work towards the World Cup.
“I think this draw will teach us a lot more than if we had just won.
“This [a draw] is the best thing we could have had as we head into our next camp.
“It is time to work even harder now before the World Cup, and we want to make South Africa proud.
“Last year was disappointing to be at home representing South Africa in Gqeberha and not raising the trophy.
“I think a lot of people were annoyed with that.
“It was a process because coach Kevin Foote and I were new and there were a lot of things that were new.
“We just needed to find ourselves and build connections. Now we can fast forward to this.”
Norton said the time the squad had spent in Gqeberha had been enjoyable, and they were grateful for all the support.
“The amount of support was unbelievable here in Gqeberha,” he said.
“When you come in the bus to the stadium, we can see everyone is behind us.
“This is not the end of the road for us, and we still have two and a half more months until the end of the World Cup.
“So the Junior Boks will celebrate this win and be happy.
“I think we have played some unbelievable rugby in the past three games against New Zealand, Australia and Argentina.”
Coach Foote said breakdown efficiency and ball security were areas where his team could have been better against the Baby Blacks.
“We probably turned over the ball too easily at times, and that’s something we’ll definitely work on,” he said.
“Against a team like New Zealand, you get punished if you’re not clinical.
“We’ve won the tournament, we’ve tested our depth, and we’ve learnt a lot about ourselves.
“This experience will serve us well in the future.”
“To have more than 40,000 people through the turnstiles across the three rounds at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium is simply incredible.
“From the moment we arrived, Gqeberha made us feel at home.
“The energy in the stadium was incredible, and that support — right up until the final whistle of today’s [Saturday] game — was a massive factor for the boys.
“We are deeply grateful to every fan who came out to back us, and they were truly fantastic.”
Scorers:
South Africa 29: Tries: Akahluwa Boqwana (2), Rambo Kubheka, Samuel Badenhorst. Conversions: Yaqeen Ahmed (3). Penalty: Yaqeen Ahmed.
New Zealand 29: Tries: Dane Johnston, Oliver Guerin, Caleb Woodley, Finn McLeod, penalty try. Conversion: Mika Muliaina.
In the opening match of the day, Australia registered their first win of the tournament when they beat Argentina 32-30 after an exciting finish.
Australia 32: Tries: Edwin Langi (2), Leo Jaques, Tom Robinson, Ewald Kruger. Conversions: Jonty Fowler (2). Penalty Jonty Fowler.
Argentina 30: Tries: Manuel Camargo, Benjamín Ledesma (2), Fabrizio Cebron. Conversions: Federico Serpa (2). Penalties: Federico Serpa (2).
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