England Under 20 retained their title as the IRB’s Junior World Champions when they edged their South African counterparts 21-20 in Auckland on Friday.
It was far from a clinical display. In fact it was a typical Final – in which there was good and bad kicking, handling errors, moments of sublime brilliance and a few poor options.
However, it was a great and enthralling encounter to watch, as two of the giants of the junior game went head-to-head.
In the end England deserved the win, if only because they made fewer errors and managed to overcome their soft moments better than the Baby Boks did.
Two of the key aspects were the line-outs, where JD Schickerling reigned supreme, and the kicking game – with Handré Pollard and Warrick Gelant’s boots just so much more accurate and secure.
However, errors limited the Baby Boks’ ability to capitalise on their superiority on those departments.
In fact all England’s first-half points came as a direct result of errors by the SA players.
It didn’t get much better after the break, with poor tackling gifting England even more opportunities – including the line-out that resulted in a crucial second try for England.
As has been the case all tournament, the South African bench made a huge impact, with young Duhan van der Merwe producing a crucial run that set the game up for a grandstand finish.
But in the end it was England’s ability to remain calm under pressure that saw them hang on for the one-point win.
It was an assured start by the England team, who were running hard at a nervous-looking South African outfit.
However, the Baby Boks hung on through some determined defence, even winning a few penalties in the opening exchanges.
It was one of these penalties, when Billy Burns went offside at a ruck and played the scrumhalf, that allowed Handré Pollard to open the scoring in the 14th minute.
From the restart a knock-on by scrumhalf JP Smith – who had a nightmare tournament – allowed England field position. They piled on the pressure and the SA U20 team conceded a penalty, which Burns slotted to level the scores.
It was a moment of magic by Baby Bok captain, Pollard, set up the first try – centre Jesse Kriel running onto a well-weighted chip-kick and sprinting clear. Pollard added the extras – 10-3 at the end of the first quarter.
SA U20 dominated territory for most of the second quarter, and had a few chances, but it was silly offside penalty that gifted England fullback Aaron Morris a shot at goal. The English No.15 landed the kick from well inside his half – 6-10, with half-time approaching.
England’s first try, right on the stroke of half-time, came after a missed tackle by Andre Esterhuizen. England piled on the pressure and quick recycling allowed No.11 Nathan Earle to stroll over on the opposite wing. Burns was wide with the conversion and England took a one-point (11-10) lead into the break.
Burns, after a breakdown penalty, and Pollard, for a similar offence, exchanged early penalties in the second half.
Then, after some sloppy defending by SA, England had a line-out deep inside the opposition 22. They mauled strongly and replacement Joel Conlon had the armchair ride over the line. Burns made it 21-13 with the conversion.
However, with just on 15 minutes remaining Baby Bok replacement Duhan van der Merwe went on a powerful run down the left wing, a burst that resulted in Jesse Kriel getting his second try. The Pollard conversion made it a one-point game – 20-21.
However, despite their best efforts with ball in hand, SA U20 failed to find a way to score the winner – a Pollard drop-goal attempt just sailing wide and handling errors also costing them.
Man of the match: JD Schickerling made life a nightmare for England in the line-outs. It is amazing to think this young man was still at school last year. Warrick Gelant was a rock at fullback and he has a meant step to boot. Even though he made a few errors and had a nervous start, South African Under-20 captain and flyhalf Handré Pollard soon settled down to stamp his mark on the game. The English loose trio of James Chisholm, Gus Jones and Ross Moriarty had a huge impact at the breakdown. Our man of the match award goes to England flyhalf Billy Burns – who was, by some distance, team’s most creative back. He took on the South African defence and varied his options well. While he also made a few errors, he contributed 11 points with the boot in a winning cause.
Moment of the match: There was the first try, when SA U20 flyhalf Handré Pollard produced a sublime chip-kick for Jessie Kriel to score. England opened the game up when they mauled the ball over from a line-out in the 53rd minute – replacement Joel Conlon getting the armchair ride. However, the score that set up the grandstand finish was the second try by Jesse Kriel in the 65th minute, after a powerful burst down the left wing by Duhan van der Merwe.
Villain of the match: Nothing villainous in this match. Just a lot of young heroes, 46 of them!
Final Standings:
- England
- South Africa
- New Zealand
- Ireland
- Australia
- France
- Wales
- Samoa
- Argentina
- Scotland
- Italy
- Fiji – relegated to IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy
In other play-off matches Australia finished fifth by beating France 34-27, Wales finished seventh by winning 20-3 against Samoa, Argentina ended ninth with a 41-21 over Scotland and Fiji was relegated to the Junior World Trophy section when they lost 17-22 Italy in the 11th-place match.
Scorers:
South Africa U20:
- Tries: Jesse Kriel (2)
- Cons: Handré Pollard (2)
- Pens: Handré Pollard (2)
England U20:
- Tries: Nathan Earle (1), Joel Conlon (1)
- Con: Billy Burns (1)
- Pens: Billy Burns (2), Aaron Morris (1)
Teams:
South Africa U20: 15 Warrick Gelant, 14 Dan Kriel, 13 Jessie Kriel, 12 Andre Esterhuizen, 11 Sergeal Petersen, 10 Handré Pollard (Captain), 9 JP Smith, 8 Aidon Davis, 7 Cyle Brink, 6 Jacques Vermeulen, 5 Nico Janse van Rensburg, 4 JD Schickerling, 3 Dayan van der Westhuizen, 2 Corniel Els, 1 Thomas du Toit
Replacements: 16 Joseph Dweba, 17 Pierre Schoeman, 18 Wilco Louw, 19 Victor Sekekete, 20 Jean Luc du Preez, 21 Zee Mkhabela, 22 Jean Luc du Plessis, 23 Duhan van der Merwe.
England U20: 15 Aaron Morris, 14 Howard Packman, 13 Nick Tompkins, 12 Harry Sloan, 11 Nathan Earle, 10 Billy Burns, 9 Henry Taylor, 8 James Chisholm, 7 Gus Jones, 6 Ross Moriarty, 5 Charlie Ewels, 4 Maro Itoje (Captain), 3 Paul Hill, 2 Tom Woolstencroft, 1 Danny Hobbs-Awoyemi
Replacements: 16 Jack Walker, 17 Alex Lundberg, 18 Biyi Alo, 19 Hayden Thompson-Stringer, 20 Joel Conlon , 21 Callum Braley, 22 Sam Olver, 23 Henry Purdy.
Referee: Ben O’Keeffe (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees: Matt O’Brien (Australia), Joaquin Montes (Uruguay)
TMO: Vinny Munro (New Zealand)
3rd Place Play-Off: Ireland 23 / 45 New Zealand
Hosts New Zealand earned a consolation prize, the bronze medal, at the 2014 IRB Junior World Championship in Auckland on Friday.
The young Kiwis were made to work hard and came from behind against a very strong Ireland side to eventually win 45-23 in the third-place play-off.
After trailing 21-23 at half time, the New Zealand backs showed their class running in four second half tries and keeping Ireland scoreless.
The pre-match prediction may have been for hosts New Zealand to run up a big score in the third place play-off against Ireland, but no-one had clearly told the men in green who went in at half-time with a deserved 23-21 advantage.
IRB Junior Player of the Year nominee Tevita had scored two and created one for Richard Mo’unga in the first half, only for a penalty try and another from prop Oisin Heffernan to edge the Irish ahead to the surprise of the Eden Park crowd.
Ireland continued to frustrate their hosts in the second half but New Zealand’s persistent pressure was rewarded when second row James Tucker touched down after 50 minutes. Some slick passing from the backs then saw Mitchell Drummond and Mo’unga over to pull clear on the scoreboard.
Not to be outdone flank Lachlan Boshier than popped up on the wing to finish off another slick handling move in the corner and scored the final points of New Zealand’s JWC 2014 campaign on home soil.
Scorers:
Ireland:
- Tries: Penalty Try (1), Oisin Heffernan (1)
- Cons: Ross Byrne (2)
- Pens: Ross Byrne (3)
New Zealand:
- Tries: Tevita Li (2), Richard Mo’unga (2), James Tucker (1), Mitchell Drummond (1), Lachlan Boshier (1)
- Cons: Damian McKenzie (5)
Teams:
Ireland U20: 15 Cian Kelleher, 14 Ciaran Gaffney, 13 Garry Ringrose, 12 Harrison Brewer, 11 Alex Wootton, 10 Ross Byrne, 9 Nick McCarthy, 8 Frank Taggart, 7 Rory Moloney, 6 Peadar Timmins (Captain), 5 Ross Molony, 4 Darragh Moloney, 3 Oisin Heffernan, 2 Dylan Donnellan, 1 Peter Dooley
Replacements: 16 Max Abbott, 17 Denis Coulson, 18 Rory Burke, 19 Stephen Gardiner, 20 Josh Murphy, 21 Ryan Foley, 22 Conor McKeon, 23 Dan Goggin.
New Zealand U20: 15 Damian McKenzie, 14 Vincent Tavae-Aso, 13 Anton Lienert-Brown (Captain), 12 TJ Faiane, 11 Tevita Li, 10 Richard Mo’unga, 9 Mitchell Drummond, 8 Matt Peni, 7 Lachlan Boshier, 6 Tom Sanders, 5 Geoffrey Cridge, 4 James Tucker, 3 Tau Koloamatangi, 2 Hame Faiva, 1 Atunaisa Moli
Replacements: 16 James O’Reilly, 17 Scott Mellow, 18 Tim Cadwallader, 19 Troy Callander, 20 Kyle Harris, 21 Josh Renton, 22 Kaveinga Finau, 23 David Kaetau Havili.
Referee: Alexandre Ruiz (France)
5th Place Play-Off: Australia 34 / 27 France
France came out of the blocks in lightning quick fashion with Lucas Blanc touching down inside the opening minute and that lead quickly grew to 17-0 after fellow wing Kylan Hamdaoui touched down and Baptiste Serin converted both from out wide and added a penalty.
But just as France were threatening to overwhelm Australia their captain Sean McMahon stepped up with two tries in quick succession, shrugging off five defenders for his first and the second an effort from closer range. However, an intercept by Xavier Mignot saw him run in from near halfway made it 24-14 to France at half-time.
Andrew Kellaway scored the first points of the second half with his ninth try of JWC 2014 to set a new record for the most tries in a single tournament. A drop goal from Brandon Fajardo improved France’s advantage, but Kellaway crossed again to equal the overall JWC try record.
Australia continued to exert pressure on France and, after Jack Payne knocked on a loose ball with the line within reach, they got the try that put them ahead for the first time in the match, hooker Harry Scoble powering over after a number of pick and goes.
Scorers:
Australia:
- Tries: Sean McMahon (2), Andrew Kellaway (2), Harry Scoble (1)
- Cons: Jake McIntyre (3)
- Pen: Luke Burton (1)
France:
- Tries: Lucas Blanc (1), Kylan Hamdaoui (1), Xavier Mignot (1)
- Cons: Baptiste Serin (3)
- Pen: Baptiste Serin (1)
- Drop goal: Brandon Fajardo (1)
Teams:
Australia U20: 15 Jonah Placid, 14 Brad Lacey, 13 Lalakai Foketi, 12 Jimmy Stewart, 11 Andrew Kellaway, 10 Jake McIntyre, 9 Angus Pulver, 8 Ross Haylett-Petty, 7 Jack Dempsey, 6 Sean McMahon (Captain), 5 Jack Payne, 4 Tom Staniforth, 3 Allan Alaalatoa, 2 Harry Scoble, 1 Rory O’Connor
Replacements: 16 Tevita Vea, 17 Cameron Orr, 18 Tom Robertson, 19 Matt Philip, 20 Rowan Perry, 21 Joe Powell, 22 David Horwitz, 23 Luke Burton.
France U20: 15 Pierre Justes, 14 Kylan Hamdaoui, 13 Xavier Mignot, 12 Francois Bouvier, 11 Lucas Blanc, 10 Brandon Fajardo, 9 Baptiste Serin, 8 Francois Cros (Captain), 7 Yacouba Camara, 6 Jean-Blaise Lespinasse, 5 Jean Baptiste Singer, 4 Arthur Iturria, 3 Tommy Raynaud, 2 Romain Ruffenach, 1 Oleg Ishchenko
Replacments: 16 Camille Chat, 17 Youssef Amrouni, 18 Simon Courcoul, 19 Felix Lambey, 20 Jean Thomas, 21 Thibault Daubagna, 22 Francois Fontaine, 23 Arthur Bonneval.
Referee: Federico Anselmi (Argentina)
7th Place Play-Off: Wales 20 / 3 Samoa
Wales coach Byron Hayward had said before kick-off he wanted his team to “finish off on a real positive” and there got the early try they sought after only six minutes through fullback Dafydd Howells.
William Talataina Mu’s penalty kept Samoa in the hunt in the first half, which ended with Wales leading 13-3 after another try from No.8 James Benjamin, who had been drafted into the starting line-up after an injury to Ben Roach in training on Thursday.
The score remained that way until after the hour mark. Samoa had Ieremia Mataena sin-binned and Wales pounced with Benjamin claiming his second try of the match to make certain of seventh place for the 2013 runners-up.
Scorers:
Wales:
- Tries: Dafydd Howells (1), James Benjamin (2)
- Con: Ethan Davies (1)
- Pen: Ethan Davies (1)
Samoa:
- Pen: William Talataina Mu (1)
Teams:
Wales U20: 15 Dafydd Howells, 14 Tyler Morgan, 13 Steffan Hughes (Captain), 12 Jack Dixon, 11 Ashley Evans, 10 Ethan Davies, 9 Tom Williams, 8 Ben Roach, 7 Will Boyde, 6 Olly Cracknell, 5 Rory Thornton, 4 Joe Davies, 3 Nicky Thomas, 2 Scott Otten, 1 Nicky Smith
Replacements: 16 Ethan Lewis, 17 Luke Garrett, 18 Callum Lewis, 19 Scott Andrews, 20 Scott Matthews, 21 James Benjamin, 22 Luc Jones, 23 Angus O’Brien, 24 Harri Evans.
Samoa U20: 15 Luteru Laulala, 14 Harry Luteru, 13 Joseph Ikenasio, 12 Nathaniel Apa, 11 Nu’u Nu’u, 10 William Talataina Mu, 9 Emil Pittman, 8 Sootala Fa’aso’o, 7 Richard Mariota, 6 Giovanni Habel Kueffner, 5 Cameron Skelton, 4 Jotham Wrampling, 3 Etimani Sului (Captain), 2 Ieremia Mataena, 1 Fereti Saaga
Replacments: 16 Iafeta Luamanu, 17 Andrew Lemalu, 18 Louis Kapeteni, 19 Ezra Meleisea, 20 Joe Lee, 21 Mark Talaese, 22 Penaia Penaia, 23 Aukuso Tuitama.
Referee: Akihisa Aso (Japan)
9th Place Play-Off: Argentina 41 / 21 Scotland
Argentina looked to be in control of the match at half-time after racing into a 23-0 lead after 34 minutes with tries from forwards Tomas Lezana and Santiago Montagner. However, Scotland grabbed a try back before the break through No.8 Magnus Bradbury.
Scotland continued their recovery after the break with Shaun MacDonald and, after another Fernandez penalty, Gavin Lowe converted his own try to cut the deficit to 26-21 and the unlikely comeback seemed to be within touching distance for the Celts.
It wasn’t to be though as Fernandez intercepted in his own 22 and raced away to score. That killed off any Scottish hopes and instead it was Argentina who finished with a flourish, Fernandez finishing with 26 points to return to the top of the all-time JWC point scoring table despite not converting Emiliano Boffelli’s late try.
Scorers:
Argentina:
- Tries: Tomas Lezana (1), Santiago Montagner (1), Patricio Fernandez (1), Emiliano Boffelli (1)
- Cons: Patricio Fernandez (3)
- Pens: Patricio Fernandez (5)
Scotland:
- Tries: Magnus Bradbury (1), Shaun MacDonald (1), Gavin Lowe (1)
- Cons: Blair Hutchinson (2), Gavin Lowe (1)
Teams:
Argentina U20: 15 Emiliano Boffelli, 14 German Schulz, 13 Bautista Ezcurra, 12 Tomas Granella, 11 Rodrigo Etchart, 10 Patricio Fernandez (Captain), 9 Juan Bernardini, 8 Santiago Montagner, 7 Lautaro Bavaro, 6 Tomas Lezana, 5 Ignacio Calas, 4 Guido Peti Pagadizabal, 3 Tomas Ramirez, 2 Juan Ignacio Sanchez, 1 Facundo Gigena
Replacments: 16 Ignacio David Calles, 17 Ariel Del Cerro, 18 Felipe Arregui, 19 Vittorio Tomas Rosti, 20 Jose Deheza, 21 Lautaro Bazan Velez, 22 Domingo Miotti, 23 Joaquin Riera.
Scotland U20: 15 Gavin Lowe, 14 Jamie Farndale, 13 Chris Dean, 12 Blair Hutchison, 11 Damien Hoyland, 10 Rory Hutchinson, 9 Alex Glashan, 8 Magnus Bradbury, 7 Tommy Spinks, 6 Neil Irvine-Hess, 5 Lewis Carmichael, 4 Andy Cramond, 3 D’Arcy Rae, 2 James Malcolm, 1 Phil Cringle
Replacements: 16 James Malcolm, 17 Jack Cosgrove, 18 Zander Fagerson, 19 Jamie Ritchie, 20 Shaun MacDonald, 21 Ben Vellacott, 22 Gavin Parker, 23 Sam Pecqueur.
Referee: Angus Gardner (Australia)
11th Place Play-Off: Fiji 17 / 22 Italy
Fiji’s fate was already sealed regardless of the result against Italy and will play in the IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy next year, but the Azzurini were determined to ensure they retained their place at JWC 2015 by right and not just as the host nation.
Scrumhalf Simone Parisotto darted over for Italy’s first try after 15 minutes and No.8 Matteo Cornelli added another after a strong Italian scrum to ensure his side went in with a 12-3 advantage, Fiji’s only answer a penalty from Dion Fraser.
Fiji started the second half the brighter and scored their only try when Josese Kurukava intercepted and ran 70 metres to dot down. Italy hit back with tries from Adriano Daniele and Gabriele Di Giulio, but could have wrapped the match up earlier had they not been wasteful with scoring opportunities.
The Fijians bid farewell to the Junior World Championship stage though with the final try of the match at QBE Stadium through their impressive flank Vasikali Mudu. They will now look to win the Trophy next year to secure an immediate return to the elite tier.
Scorers:
Fiji:
- Tries: Josese Kurukava (1), Vasikali Mudu (1)
- Cons: Dion Fraser (1), Tubuka Vueti (1)
- Pen: Dion Fraser (1)
Teams:
Fiji U20: 15 Livinai Tuicakau, 14 Adrea Cocagi (Captain), 13 Poasa Waqanibau, 12 Josese Kurukava, 11 Orisi Nawaqaliva, 10 Dion Fraser, 9 Leone Nawai, 8 Marika Tokalauvere, 7 Vasikali Mudu, 6 Ameniasi Natuiyaga, 5 Simione Naiduki, 4 Lote Nasiga, 3 Apolosi Ranawai, 2 Wilisoni Lagi, 1 Jack Dreunimolea
Replacments: 16 Semi Tuikoroalau Wakolo, 17 Samuela Tawake, 18 Aseri Robarobalevu, 19 Paula Bukavece, 20 Atonio Qio, 21 Marika Tivitivi, 22 Elia Mroisio, 23 Tubuka Vueti.
Italy: 15 Giacomo De Santis, 14 Daniele Di Giulio, 13 Mattia Bellini, 12 Matteo Gabbianelli, 11 Gabriele Di Giulio, 10 Filippo Buscema (Captain), 9 Simone Parisotto, 8 Matteo Cornelli, 7 Renato Giammarioli, 6 Marco Lazzaroni, 5 Andrea Trotta, 4 Riccardo Michieletto, 3 Simone Ferrari, 2 Adriano Daniele, 1 Derrick Appiah
Replacments: 16 Francesco Vento, 17 Paolo Buonfiglio, 18 Cherif Traore, 19 Matteo Archetti, 20 Federico Ruzza, 21 Maicol Azzolini, 22 Samuel Seno, 23 Matteo Gasparini.
Referee: Vlad Iordachescu (Romania)