UPDATE: Italy stun Junior Boks in Paarl
WORLD CUP WRAP: Italy made history as they recorded their first-ever win over the Junior Springboks on South African soil.
The Italians were incredible, recording a 34-26 victory in wet weather conditions to stun South Africa and the majority of spectators at a rain-soaked Paarl Gymnasium.
On a pitch that had become a mudbath following two matches earlier in the day and incessant driving rain, Italy used their driving maul to devastating effect to secure a famous bonus point victory.
It was a contrast of styles as South Africa played the more adventurous rugby but Italy’s pragmatic approach was better suited to the conditions with all four of their tries coming from pick-and-drive attacks.
Having gone 17 points down in the first 24 minutes and found themselves 19 points adrift at one stage in the second period South Africa fought hard but ultimately left themselves with too much to do.
South Africa did score the try of the match when centre Damian Markus picked up 15 metres from his own line and surefootedly picked his way through the mud but that, and a try bonus point, were of little consolation to the Junior Springboks.
Poor discipline and a malfunctioning lineout meant that South Africa spent too long on defensive duties and they struggled to find ways of legally checking Italy’s driving maul.
An early penalty try, after South Africa collapsed a maul, was followed by one from hooker Nicholas Gasperini with flyhalf Simone Brisighella adding the conversion followed by a penalty.
South Africa responded with well-worked tries from centre Katlego Letebele and replacement wing Jurenzo Julius but Italy regained control and composure at the start of the second half with scrumhalf Lorenzo Casilio, the Player of the Match, marshalling his pack.
Gallorini’s brace of tries stretched the lead before Markus’ flash of individual brilliance was followed by a moment of opportunism from hooker Juann Else, who picked up a loose ball and found a huge hole in Italy’s defence.
But South Africa struggled to find further attacking opportunities and it was Italy’s forward power that forced a penalty under more pressure that allowed Sante to seal the win with a kick from in front of the posts.
The scenes! 🔥
A first ever victory for Italy against South Africa! 🇮🇹#WorldRugbyU20s | @Federugby pic.twitter.com/H5vBLWtGYe
ADVERTISEMENT— World Rugby (@WorldRugby) June 29, 2023
France cemented their status as favourites with a 35-14 win over New Zealand in Round Two of the Under-20 World Championship on Thursday.
Posolo Tuilagi scored twice in his first appearance of the tournament, while Hugo Reus produced another goal-kicking masterclass, converting all five of Les Bleuets’ tries.
For New Zealand, it was their heaviest defeat in the history of the U20 Championship, surpassing the 12-point margin they suffered at the hands of England in the 2013 semifinal.
The big Les Bleuets pack was an unstoppable force and after some telling carries, the ball was worked out wide to wing Théo Attissogbe who scored the first try of the match.
On 15 minutes, Nicolas Depoortere missed a good opportunity to add to his double in the big win over Japan in round one. However, France did not have to wait long for try number two, second-row Tuilagi powering over at the back of a driving maul. With Hugo Reus adding the conversions to both, France led 14-0.
New Zealand had barely fired a shot and when they did get a chance to attack, Les Bleuets’ defence remained steadfast.
Another strong maul led to France’s next try. Good ground was made before the ball was released to Attissogbe who passed back inside to scrumhalf Baptiste Jauneau. Jauneau juggled the ball at first but managed to get it back under control before grounding. Once again, Reus added the extras.
New Zealand’s first sustained attack came right at the end of the half and Che Clark looked to have splashed down in the corner after a perfectly weighted kick pass from flyhalf Taha Kemara but the video replays showed he had put a knee in touch.
The referee had been playing advantage and when he called play back, New Zealand kicked the penalty to the corner. The Junior All Blacks needed a lift but a third missed lineout of the half ensured they went into the break scoreless.
France had the bonus point in the bag just three minutes into the half and it was that man-mountain, Tuilagi, who crashed over again. Reus converted brilliantly from the touchline.
At last, New Zealand showed some intent and the flow of penalties started to go against France. After a final team warning, referee Damian Schneider sent Jauneau to the sin-bin.
New Zealand looked to have taken advantage almost immediately but Macca Springer’s try was disallowed after he was found to have led with the elbow in attempting to shrug off Attissogbe’s tackle. The only consolation for New Zealand was that his yellow card wasn’t upgraded.
It was 14 v 14 for less than two minutes though, as centre Costes strayed offside and joined Jauneau in the sin-bin. New Zealand finally got on the scoreboard in the 58th minute when their pack won a penalty try.
Peter Lakai then busted through three tackles to score as New Zealand’s spirited comeback continued and Kemara added the conversion to make it 28-14.
But France went back to basics and Brent Liufau crossed from close range on 68 minutes to close the game out, Reus making no mistake from the kicking tee to maintain his 100 percent record,
*Elsewhere, Ireland finally recorded a victory, beating Australia in Round Two of the Under-20 World Championship.
At the back of a draw against England, Ireland were desperate for a win and secured a 30-10 win over Australia in Paarl.
The Irish outscored the Australians four tries to one.
Wales’ late show made sure their record a 41-19 win over a 14-man Japan side.
Japan look well on their way to securing their first Under-20 World Championship win, leading 19-15 after 60 minutes of play.
However, a late surge by Wales proved too much for the 14-man Japan side.
Georgia produced a brilliant performance to beat Argentina 20-0 at Danie Craven Stadium in a historic match.
England wrapped up the day’s action with a dominant display from their pack which laid the foundations for a 53-7 victory over Fiji at the Danie Craven Stadium.
England’s total forward dominance stifled Fiji’s dangerous backs and laid the foundations for an emphatic bonus-point victory in Stellenbosch.
Mangan crosses over for the last try of the match, securing the victory for @IrishRugby ☘️
#WorldRugbyU20s pic.twitter.com/0OjHJi3Mz4— World Rugby (@WorldRugby) June 29, 2023
All the scores and scorers:
Australia 10-30 Ireland
The scorers
For Australia
Try: O’Donnell
Con: Bowen
Pen: Bowen
For Ireland:
Tries: Mangan, McCarthy, Gleeson, Nicholson
Cons: Oliver, Prendergast
Pens: Pendergast 2
Teams:
Australia: 15 Mason Gordon, 14 Tim Ryan, 13 Henry O’Donnell, 12 David Vaihu, 11 Darby Lancaster, 10 Jack Bowen, 9 Teddy Wilson (captain), 8 John Bryant, 7 Ned Slack-Smith, 6 Lachlan Hooper, 5 Daniel Maiava, 4 Jhy Legg, 3 Massimo De Lutiis, 2 Max Craig, 1 Jack Barrett.
Replacements: 16 Liam Bowron, 17 Harrison Usher, 18 Nick Bloomfield, 19 Toby Macpherson, 20 Leafi Heka Talataina, 21 Klayton Thorn, 22 Harry McLaughlin-Phillips, 23 Taj Annan.
Ireland: 15 Henry McErlean, 14 Andrew Osborne, 13 Hugh Gavin, 12 John Devine, 11 James Nicholson, 10 Sam Prendergast, 9 Fintan Gunne, 8 Brian Gleeson, 7 Ruadhan Quinn, 6 James McNabney, 5 Conor O’Tighearnaigh, 4 Charlie Irvine, 3 Ronan Foxe, 2 Gus McCarthy, 1 Paddy McCarthy.
Replacements: 16 Danny Sheahan, 17 George Morris, 18 Fiachna Barrett, 19 Evan O’Connell, 20 Diarmuid Mangan, 21 Jack Oliver, 22 Harry West, 23 Rory Telfer.
Referee: Angus Mabey (New Zealand)
Assistant Referees: Takehito Namekawa (Japan), Griffin Colby (South Africa)
TMO: Ian Tempest (England)
France 35-14 New Zealand
The scorers:
For France:
Tries: Attissogbe, Tuilagi 2, Liufau, Jauneau
Cons: Reus 5
For New Zealand:
Tries: Lakai, Penalty try
Cons: Kemara, Penalty try does not require a conversion
Yellow cards: Baptiste Jauneau (France, 12), Paul Costes (France, 17), Macca Springer (France, 13)
Teams:
France: 15 Mathis Ferté, 14 Léo Drouet, 13 Nicolas Depoortere, 12 Paul Costes, 11 Théo Attissogbe, 10 Hugo Reus, 9 Baptiste Jauneau, 8 Marko Gazzotti, 7 Oscar Jegou, 6 Lenni Nouchi (captain), 5 Posolo Tuilagi, 4 Hugo Auradou, 3 Zaccharie Affane, 2 Pierre Jouvin, 1 Louis Penverne
Replacements: 16 Thomas Lacombre, 17 Lino Julien, 18 Thomas Duchene, 19 Brent Liufau, 20 Mathis Castro Ferreira, 21 Andy Timo, 22 Léo Carbonneau, 23 Arthur Mathiron
New Zealand: 15 Harry Godfrey, 14 Caleb Tangitau, 13 Aki Tuivailala, 12 Leo Gordon, 11 Macca Springer, 10 Taha Kemara, 9 Noah Hotham (captain), 8 Malachi Wrampling-Alec, 7 Peter Lakai, 6 Che Clark, 5 Tom Allen, 4 Tahlor Cahill, 3 Siale Lauaki, 2 Jack Taylor, 1 Ben Ake.
Replacements: 16 Raymond Tuputupu, 17 Malakai Hala, 18 Gabe Robinson, 19 Will Stodart, 20 Cooper Flanders, 21 Jordi Viljoen, 22 Ajay Faleafaga, 23 Codemeru Vai.
Referee: Damian Schneider (Argentina)
Assistant Referees: Anthony Woodthorpe (England), AM Jacobs (South Africa)
TMO: Matteo Liperini (Italy)
Wales 41-19 Japan
The scorers:
For Wales:
Tries: Hughes, Lloyd, Edwards, Hennessey, Florence, Bradley
Cons: Edwards 3, Wilde
Pen: Edwards
For Japan:
Tries: Oike 2, Nagashima
Cons: Naramoto 2
Yellow card: Evan Hill (Wales, 21).
Red card: Yoshiki Omachi (Japan, 9)
Teams:
Wales: 15 Cameron Winnett, 14 Llien Morgan, 13 Louie Hennessey, 12 Bryn Bradley, 11 Harri Houston, 10 Dan Edwards, 9 Archie Hughes, 8 Morgan Morse, 7 Lucas De La Rua, 6 Ryan Woodman (captain), 5 Jonny Green, 4 Evan Hill, 3 Louis Fletcher, 2 Lewis Lloyd, 1 Dylan Kelleher-Griffiths.
Replacements:16 Sam Scarfe, 17 Josh Morse, 18 Kian Hire, 19 Mackenzie Martin, 20 Seb Driscoll, 21 Tom Florence, 22 Harri Wilde, 23 Harri Williams
Japan: 15 Kosho Muto, 14 Renji Oike, 13 Shota Taira, 12 Yoshiki Omachi (captain), 11 Yoshitaka Yazaki, 10 Kanjiro Naramoto, 9 Yutaro Takahashi, 8 Taison Mogami, 7 Tomoki Kusuda, 6 Koki Miyashita, 5 Harry Willard, 4 Yuzuki Sasaki, 3 Riku Tomita, 2 Kouta Nagashima, 1 Hwang Sena
Replacements: 16 Takashi Omoto, 17 Tomoki Yumbe, 18 Kosuke Sugiura, 19 Bunsuke Kurita, 20 Tenta Kobayashi, 21 Taishin Ohshima, 22 Genki Ikuta, 23 Ryohei Imano
Referee: Morne Ferreira (South Africa)
Assistant Referees: Eoghan Cross (Ireland), Stephan Geldenhuys (South Africa)
TMO: Quinton Immelman (South Africa)
South Africa 26-34 Italy
The scorers:
For South Africa:
Tries: Julius, Else, Markus, Letebele
Cons: Khan 3
For Italy:
Tries: Penalty try, Gasperini, Gallorini 2
Cons: Brisighella 3, Penalty try does not require a conversion
Pens: Brisighella, Sante
Yellow card: Mawande Mdanda (South Africa, 9)
Teams:
South Africa: 15 Regan Izaks, 14 Michael Annies , 13 Katlego Letebele, 12 Damian Markus, 11 Quewin Nortje , 10 Sam Francis, 9 Neil Le Roux , 8 Cornѐ Beets, 7 Jannes Potgieter, 6 Paul de Villiers (captain), 5 Jacob Frederick van Heerden, 4 Tiaan Wessels, 3 Mawande Mdanda, 2 Juann Else, 1 Cornè Lavagna.
Replacements: 16 Samuel Jordaan Kotze, 17 Phatu Ganyane, 18 Zachary Porthen, 19 Ghudian van Reenen, 20 Gcinokuhle Mdletshe, 21 Imad Khan, 22 Litelihle Bester, 23 Jurenzo Julius.
Italy: 15 Alessandro Gesi, 14 Francesco Bini, 13 Lorenzo Elettri, 12 Dewi Passarella, 11 Matthias Douglas, 10 Simone Brisighella, 9 Lorenzo Casilio, 8 Fabio Ruaro, 7 David Odiase (captain), 6 Filippo Lavorenti, 5 Pietro Turrisi, 4 Enrico Pontarini, 3 Federico Pisanim, 2 Nicholas Gasperini, 1 Riccardo Bartolini
Replacements: 16 Giovanni Quattrini, 17 Samuele Taddei, 18 Marcos Francesco Gallorini, 19 Alex Mattioli, 20 Carlos Berlese, 21 Sebastiano Battara, 22 Giovanni Sante, 23 Matteo Rubinato
Referee: Rueben Keane (Australia)
Assistant Referees: Takehito Namekawa (Japan), Griffin Colby (South Africa)
TMO: Ian Tempest (England)
Argentina 0-20 Georgia
The scorers:
For Argentina: NONE
For Georgia:
Tries: Khorbaladze, Khonelidze
Cons: Khutsishvili 2
Pens: Khutsishvili 2
Yellow cards: Petre Khutshishvili (Georgia, 2), Mateo Soler (Argentina, 42)
Teams:
Argentina: 15 Mateo Soler, 14 Ernesto Giudice, 13 Faustino Sánchez Valarolo, 12 Nicolás López González, 11 Ignacio Lucero, 10 Juan Baronio, 9 Agustín Moyano, 8 Benjamín Grondona, 7 Aitor Bildosola, 6 Eliseo Chiavassa (captain), 5 Efraín Eliás, 4 Mateo Lorenzo, 3 Tomás Rapetti, 2 Tomás Bartolini, 1 Francisco Palazzi
Replacements: 16 Valentino Minoyetti, 17 Matías Medrano, 18 Renzo Zanella, 19 Federico Rolotti, 20 Felipe Bares, 21 Nicolás Viola, 22 Valentino Dicapua, 23 Felipe Mallía
Georgia: 15 Luka Tsirekidze, 14 Shako Aptsiauri, 13 Tornike Kakhoidze, 12 Giorgi Shvelidze, 11 Luka Khorbaladze, 10 Petre Khutsishvili, 9 Davit Khuroshvili, 8 Nika Lomidze, 7 Lasha Tsikhistavi (captain), 6 Rati Zazadze, 5 Giorgi Gergedava, 4 Guram Ganiashvili, 3 Irakli Aptsiauri, 2 Nika Babunashvili, 1 Giorgi Mamaiashvili
Replacements: 16 Basa Khonelidze, 17 Lasha Pkhakadze, 18 Davit Mtchedlidze, 19 Tornike Ganiashvili, 20 Nikoloz Sakvarelidze, 21 Sandro Jigauri, 22 Nicolas Ragoevi, 23 Vazha Mikadze
Referee: Hollie Davidson (Scotland)
Assistant Referees: Luc Ramos (France), Dylen November (South Africa)
TMO: Marius van der Westhuizen (South Africa)
England 53-7 Fiji
The scorers:
For England:
Tries: Thomas, Jibulu, Thame, Michelow, Cleaves, Fisilau, Woodman
Cons: Slevin 3, Johnson
Pen: Slevin
For Fiji:
Try: McGoon
Con: Ravula
Yellow cards: Moses McGoon (Fiji, 6), Maika Kamikamica (Fiji, 32)
Teams:
England: 15 Louie Johnson, 14 Jacob Cusick, 13 Joe Jenkins, 12 Toby Thame, 11 Alex Wills, 10 Connor Slevin, 9 Nye Thomas, 8 Zach Carr, 7 Tristan Woodman, 6 Nathan Michelow, 5 Harry Browne, 4 Finn Carnduff, 3 James Halliwell, 2 Nathan Jibulu, 1 Archie McArthur
Replacements: 16 Craig Wright, 17 Ethan Clarke, 18 Afolabi Fasogbon, 19 Lewis Chessum, 20 Greg Fisilau, 21 Charlie Bracken, 22 Cassius Cleaves, 23 Tobias Elliott
Fiji: 15 Peni Waqalala, 14 Bronson Lee, 13 Maika Kamikamica, 12 Waqa Nalaga, 11 Manieta Navonovono, 10 Isaiah Ravula, 9 Philip Baselala, 8 Juda Saumaisue, 7 Moti Murray (captain), 6 Timoci Nakalevu, 5 Nalani May, 4 Mesake Vocevoce, 3 Breyton Legge, 2 Joeli Nainoca, 1 Moses McGoon.
Replacements: 16 Josh Kina, 17 Siti Tamani, 18 Semi Tokitani, 19 Emosi Natubailagi, 20 Sakenasa Nalasi, 21 Zach Kama, 22 Pateresio Finau
Referee: Ben Breakspear (Waes)
Assistant Referees: Eoghan Cross (Ireland), Stephan Geldenhuys (South Africa)
TMO: Quinton Immelman (South Africa)
Source: @WorldRugby
