The Junior Springboks launched their U20 Rugby Championship campaign with a devastating first-half blitz before Argentina rallied late in a 48–21 victory at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha, a Freedom Day clash watched by 10,398 spectators.

2 mins – TRY SOUTH AFRICA: Ethan Adams exploded through the front line and powered through three tackles to score a cracking opening try out wide. Yaqeen Ahmed misses the conversion. (5–0)

9 mins – TRY SOUTH AFRICA: After a sustained spell of pick-and-drives close to the Argentine line, Hendré Schoeman burrowed low to score the Junior Boks’ second try. Ahmed converts. (12–0)

16 mins – TRY SOUTH AFRICA: Luke Cannon claimed the lineout cleanly and Kebotile Maake fed the ball onto Ahmed, who cut back into a huge hole and palmed off the last defender on a 30-metre run to score. Ahmed converts. (19–0)

19 mins – TRY SOUTH AFRICA: Alzeadon Felix sent Lindsey Jansen streaking 30 metres down the left touchline before Ahmed delivered a pinpoint cross-field kick to Jack Benade, who regathered on the run and brought it around to score. Ahmed misses the conversion. (24–0)

26 mins – TRY SOUTH AFRICA: South Africa tapped back the lineout and Schoeman fired a long pass into the midfield. Adams collected, exploded through the front line and sprinted 40 metres to score under the posts. Ahmed converts. (31–0)

34 mins – TRY SOUTH AFRICA: Ahmed’s chip kick was spilled backwards by Argentina and Schoeman regathered. Samuel Badenhorst made a mini break before Maake surged inside the 22. Felix then rolled in a deft grubber down the left edge that was regathered by Benade, who dived over for his second. Ahmed misses the conversion. (36–0)

Half-time: South Africa 36–0 Argentina. A ruthless first-half display from the Junior Springboks, who scored six unanswered tries. Adams was devastating with ball in hand, busting tackles at will, while Benade’s pace and footwork caused constant problems on the right wing. Argentina’s lineout misfired badly and Los Pumitas were unable to gain any meaningful foothold in the contest.

51 mins – TRY SOUTH AFRICA: After enterprising attacking play through Benade, Ahmed and Felix, Jansen zipped inside the 22 before the ball was worked back to the middle. Oliver Reid bullocked towards the goal line and placed it cleanly on the line. Ahmed converts. (43–0)

55 mins – TRY SOUTH AFRICA: The Junior Boks hammered away through the forwards close to the line before swinging it right. Felix fed Ahmed, who fired a bounce pass to Benade. The winger cut back sharply off his right foot past a sliding Luciano Avaca to complete his hat-trick. Ahmed misses the conversion. (48–0)

62 mins – TRY ARGENTINA: Los Pumitas got their maul surging forward before Manuel Cuneo Camargo peeled off and surged towards the five-metre line. Federico Torre crashed over from close range, placing the ball cleanly on the line despite being tackled just short. Manuel Giannantonio converts. (48–7)

74 mins – TRY ARGENTINA: Argentina worked the ball inside the 22 before a slick cutout pass from Giannantonio found Tomás Dande, who slipped past one defender and surged past another to score in the right corner. Giannantonio converts. (48–14)

80 mins – TRY ARGENTINA: Torre took the ball off the back of the scrum, peeled to the short side and burrowed low to ground it on the line for his second try. Giannantonio converts. (48–21)

Full-time: South Africa 48–21 Argentina

Six unanswered tries in the opening 40 minutes had the contest effectively settled before the interval, with inside centre Ethan Adams and right winger Jack Benade the chief architects of Argentina’s destruction. Los Pumitas fought back with three tries in the final quarter to reduce the margin and avoid a whitewash, but the damage had long been done.

South Africa started like a house on fire. Barely two minutes had elapsed when Adams collected in the midfield, burst through the front line and powered through the tackles of Luciano Avaca and two other defenders to score out wide. It was a statement of intent from a player whose combination of size and acceleration would prove impossible for Argentina to contain.

The Junior Boks maintained the pressure through their forwards, with Kebotile Maake, Luke Cannon and Riley Norton carrying hard and making metres through the middle. Scrumhalf Hendré Schoeman added the second try in the ninth minute, burrowing over from close range after Rambo Kubheka had powered to within a metre of the line following a sustained spell of pick-and-drives.

Argentina’s problems were compounded by a misfiring lineout. Hooker Nicolas Cambiasso was pulled up multiple times for crooked throws, handing South Africa cheap possession in dangerous areas. The Junior Boks made them pay in the 16th minute when Ahmed cut back into a huge hole off a lineout and palmed off the last defender on a 30-metre burst to the line. Ahmed converted his own try to make it 19–0 after just a quarter of an hour.

Benade’s first try in the 19th minute was a thing of beauty. Alzeadon Felix sent Lindsey Jansen streaking 30 metres down the left touchline, drawing the Argentine defence to that side of the field, before Ahmed delivered a pinpoint cross-field kick to the right where Benade regathered on the run and brought it around to score. It was a try that spoke to the ambition of Kevin Foote’s side — willing to move the ball and back their skill under pressure.

Adams struck again in the 26th minute, this time from further out. Schoeman fired a long pass into the midfield from a lineout and Adams did the rest, exploding through the defensive line and sprinting 40 metres to score under the posts. Ahmed’s conversion made it 31–0 and the game was over as a contest before the half-hour mark.

Benade completed his brace just before the break. Felix rolled in a deft grubber down the left edge after Maake had surged inside the 22 and the winger showed sharp reactions to regather and dive over. At 36–0, the Junior Springboks headed to the sheds with a commanding lead built on relentless physicality and clinical finishing. Remarkably, Adams had been involved in the build-up to three of the six tries, and Benade had scored two from virtually nothing.

The second half was a more disjointed affair. South Africa added two further tries through replacement prop Oliver Reid, who bullocked over in the 51st minute after enterprising play through the backs, and Benade, who completed his hat-trick four minutes later. The winger’s third was another gem — Ahmed feeding him with a bounce pass on the right edge before Benade cut back sharply off his right foot past Avaca to score near the corner. At 48–0, South Africa had eight tries on the board and were threatening to run riot.

To their credit, Argentina never threw in the towel. The introduction of replacement loose forward Federico Torre brought fresh impetus and he crashed over from close range in the 62nd minute after a surging maul and a series of carries close to the line. It was Los Pumitas’ first points of the match and a reward for the hard work of Joaquín Pascual Viale and Basilio Cañas, who had toiled throughout in the pack.

Captain Tomás Dande added a second Argentine try in the 74th minute, finishing off a slick move down the right after a cutout pass from fly-half Giannantonio. Torre then burrowed over for his second on the stroke of full-time to make the final score a more respectable 48–21. Giannantonio converted all three to finish with a perfect record from the tee.

Foote was pleased with the attacking intent his side had shown, while acknowledging there was room for improvement. “We never want to stop the guys from expressing themselves, and our journey is just starting now,” the Junior Springboks coach said. Captain Norton praised the character of his players and the vocal Eastern Cape crowd. “It was such a special occasion to sing our anthem with the crowd,” Norton said. “I am so pleased that we could play some really exciting rugby today, especially in the first half.”

The result leaves South Africa top of the U20 Rugby Championship standings on five points, with New Zealand second on four after their 34–29 comeback victory over Australia in the earlier match. The Junior Boks face Australia at 4.10pm on Sunday, while Argentina take on New Zealand in the early match at 2pm.

Teams

South Africa: 15 Alzeadon Felix, 14 Jack Benade, 13 Samuel Badenhorst, 12 Ethan Adams, 11 Lindsey Jansen, 10 Yaqeen Ahmed, 9 Hendré Schoeman, 8 Kebotile Maake, 7 Thomas Beling, 6 Luke Cannon, 5 Heinrich Theron, 4 Riley Norton (c), 3 Danie Kruger, 2 Liam van Wyk, 1 Rambo Kubheka.
Replacements: 16 Oliver Reid, 17 Vusi Moyo, 18 Mahle Sithole, 19 Kai Pratt, 20 JD Hattingh, 21 Risima Khosa, 22 Jayden Brits, 23 Khuthadzo Rasivhaga.

Argentina: 15 Luciano Avaca, 14 Constantino Keller, 13 Ramón Fernández Miranda, 12 Pedro Coll, 11 Mateo Tanoni, 10 Manuel Giannantonio, 9 Ignacio Zabella, 8 Basilio Cañas, 7 Joaquín Pascual Viale, 6 Tomás Dande (c), 5 Agustín Ponzio, 4 Jeremy Annand, 3 Bautista Salinas Mallea, 2 Nicolás Cambiasso, 1 Benjamín Farías Cerioni.
Replacements: 16 Manuel Cuneo Camargo, 17 Fabrizio Cebron, 18 Federico Narvaez, 19 Jerónimo Sorondo, 20 Federico Torre, 21 Juan Preumayr, 22 Benjamín Ordiz, 23 Simon Pfister.

Match details

South Africa 48 (Tries: Adams 2, Schoeman, Ahmed, Benade 3, Reid; Conversions: Ahmed 4/8)
Argentina 21 (Tries: Torre 2, Dande; Conversions: Giannantonio 3/3)
Half-time: 36–0

Attendance: 10,398
Venue: Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Gqeberha
Referee: Gonzalo de Achaval (Argentina)

The Junior All Blacks produced a stunning second-half comeback to beat the Junior Wallabies 34–29 in the opening round of the 2026 U20 Rugby Championship at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium in Gqeberha, scoring three tries in the space of five minutes to overturn a 12-point deficit that had seemed insurmountable.

4 mins – TRY NEW ZEALAND: Mika Muliaina spread the ball wide left from the lineout and Cohen Norrie glided outside his marker to score near the corner. Muliaina misses the conversion. (5–0)

8 mins – TRY AUSTRALIA: From a lineout five metres out, Isaac Fonua powered towards the line before Marshall Le Maitre burrowed low to score. Finn Mackay converts. (5–7)

12 mins – DISALLOWED TRY AUSTRALIA: Leo Jaques sliced through a gap off Mackay but the try was ruled out by the TMO for obstruction by Louis Fenwicke.

16 mins – TRY NEW ZEALAND: Henry Stuart crashed over from close range after a sustained forward assault. Muliaina converts. (12–7)

21 mins – TRY AUSTRALIA: Mackay and Jaques worked the ball wide right to Riley Whitfeld, who stepped sharply inside Siale Pahulu to score. Mackay misses the conversion. (12–12)

24 mins – TRY AUSTRALIA: Mackay floated a brilliant cutout pass left to replacement Taione Taka, who evaded one defender and streaked away to score in the corner. Mackay misses the conversion. (12–17)

35 mins – TRY AUSTRALIA: From a powerful rolling maul, quick ruck ball reached Ewald Kruger, whose bounce pass was scooped up by Mackay who dived over to score. Mackay converts. (12–24)

Half-time: New Zealand 12–24 Australia. The Junior Wallabies dominated the final 25 minutes of the half, with Finn Mackay pulling the strings brilliantly at fly-half. Australia’s lineout functioned superbly and their forwards consistently made hard metres through the middle. New Zealand needed a fast start to the second half.

46 mins – TRY NEW ZEALAND: Cohen Norrie collected the ball wide left and put on the afterburners around Cooper Watters with a goose-step to score his second. Muliaina misses the conversion. (17–24)

54 mins – RED CARD AUSTRALIA: Cooper Watters shown a 20-minute red card for a dangerous cleanout on Finn McLeod at the breakdown, lifting his leg past the horizontal.

57 mins – TRY AUSTRALIA: Despite being down to 14, Mackay fired a sharp pass right to Leo Jaques, who powered through two defenders to score. Mackay misses the conversion. (17–29)

62 mins – YELLOW CARD AUSTRALIA: Angus Grover yellow-carded for slowing the ball at the breakdown after Logan Williams had made a 60-metre break. Australia reduced to 13 players.

64 mins – TRY NEW ZEALAND: From the ensuing scrum five metres out, Charlie Sinton created an easy overlap for captain Haki Wiseman, who powered over under the posts. Muliaina converts. (24–29)

66 mins – TRY NEW ZEALAND: A Cohen Norrie clearance was charged down, putting everyone onside. Sinton fed Micah Fale at halfway, who in turn supplied Caleb Woodley to score in the corner. Muliaina misses the conversion. (29–29)

68 mins – TRY NEW ZEALAND: Logan Williams hacked the ball ahead from a breakdown, regathered and sprinted past Fenwicke to score out wide. Muliaina misses the conversion. (34–29)

72 mins – DISALLOWED TRY AUSTRALIA: Louis Fenwicke crossed to the left of the posts off a Mackay cutout pass, but the TMO ruled it out for a knock-on by Tyler Maybery at the previous breakdown.

Full-time: New Zealand 34–29 Australia

It was a match that had everything — brilliant individual performances, controversial cards, disallowed tries and a final quarter that swung wildly between the two sides. Australia will feel this was one that got away, having dominated large stretches of the first half and led 24–12 at the break, only for ill-discipline to undo their hard work at the worst possible time.

New Zealand made a sharp start in sunny but breezy conditions, their lineout functioning crisply through Jake Frost and Max Fale. The early pressure told in the fourth minute when Muliaina spread the ball wide left and fullback Cohen Norrie glided outside his marker, beating the defence for pace to open the scoring near the corner. Muliaina’s conversion drifted wide from close to the touchline, a sign of the swirling wind that would make goal-kicking a lottery throughout the afternoon.

Australia’s response was immediate and forceful. Penalised for offside, New Zealand conceded territory and the Junior Wallabies went to the corner from a penalty. Isaac Fonua powered towards the line from the lineout before openside Marshall Le Maitre muscled over for the equalising score. Finn Mackay — the Reds fly-half who had been part of the Australian Under-18 side that beat New Zealand Secondary Schools twice in 2025 — added the extras to hand Australia a 7–5 lead.

The Junior Wallabies thought they had struck again almost immediately when Leo Jaques sliced through a gap running off Mackay on the left edge, but the TMO intervened and the try was ruled out for obstruction by fullback Louis Fenwicke. It was a momentum-killing decision, and New Zealand capitalised. Going down the other end, prop Henry Stuart crashed over from close range after sustained forward pressure, and Muliaina’s conversion restored a 12–7 lead.

What followed was a masterclass from Mackay. The 19-year-old pulled the strings as Australia dominated the final 25 minutes of the first half, outscoring New Zealand 17–0 in a spell of ruthless attacking rugby. Riley Whitfeld levelled proceedings with a sharp step back inside off his right foot that beat Siale Pahulu, before Mackay delivered a sumptuous cutout pass to send replacement Taione Taka over in the corner. The fly-half then got on the scoresheet himself in the 35th minute, swooping on a bounce pass from Kruger after a powerful rolling maul had driven New Zealand backwards. Remarkably, there were no handling errors and only two scrums in the first 40 minutes as both sides played at a frenetic pace.

Trailing 12–24, Kane Jury’s side needed a fast start to the second half and they got one. Norrie, with a goose-step that drew comparisons to David Campese, slipped past his marker wide on the left to score his second in the 46th minute and reduce the deficit to seven points. Australia went close to an immediate response when Jaques exploded through the front line, only to lose possession in a desperate tackle just short of the try line.

The match turned dramatically in the 53rd minute. Finn McLeod had won a crucial jackal at the breakdown, but winger Cooper Watters panicked in his attempt to clear the Canterbury flanker out and was shown a 20-minute red card for lifting McLeod’s leg past the horizontal. It was a reckless act that would prove decisive.

Remarkably, Australia initially absorbed the blow. Despite being down to 14, Jaques finally got the try his first-half performance had deserved, powering through two defenders off a sharp Mackay pass to extend the lead to 17–29. For a moment, it seemed the numerical disadvantage might not matter.

Then came the collapse. Logan Williams, on from the bench, made a searing 60-metre break that scrambled the Australian defence. At the ensuing breakdown, halfback Angus Grover was yellow-carded for cynically slowing the ball, reducing Australia to 13 players. It was the moment that broke Chris Whittaker’s side.

From the five-metre scrum, Charlie Sinton — who had played for Bay of Plenty in the NPC last year — created an easy overlap for captain Haki Wiseman, who powered over under the posts. Muliaina converted and suddenly it was 24–29. Two minutes later came a try with a healthy dose of fortune: Norrie’s clearance kick was charged down, putting everyone onside. Sinton was alert enough to feed the ball to impact substitute Micah Fale at halfway, who in turn supplied openside Caleb Woodley to score in the corner. The sides were level at 29–29 — the same scoreline as the corresponding fixture in 2025.

Williams was not finished. In the 68th minute, the Canterbury prospect hacked the ball ahead from a breakdown, regathered his own kick and sprinted past Fenwicke to score out wide. There were Australian complaints that Tom Robinson had won a turnover penalty at the preceding breakdown, but the referee waved play on. Three tries in five minutes had turned the match on its head.

Australia, restored to 15 players for the final six minutes, threw everything at the New Zealand line. Mackay rifled a cutout pass to Fenwicke, who crossed to the left of the posts, but the TMO ruled it out for a knock-on by replacement Tyler Maybery at the previous breakdown. A rolling maul was held up a metre from the corner flag, with replacement prop Ethan Webber making a crucial stop, and Eli Langi was held up over the line in the dying minutes. New Zealand clung on grimly, and when Muliaina booted the ball into touch after an early siren, the Baby Blacks had completed a remarkable comeback.

Mackay was outstanding in a losing cause, having a hand in all five Australian tries and looking every inch a player destined for higher honours. For New Zealand, Norrie’s double and Williams’s impact from the bench were the decisive contributions, while Sinton’s composure at halfback held the comeback together. The result extends New Zealand’s unbeaten run in the U20 Rugby Championship, having won both previous editions in 2024 and 2025.

Australia’s campaign faces further headwinds, with centre Frankie Goldsbrough in doubt for their next match against South Africa after departing early with a shoulder injury. New Zealand face Argentina on Sunday, while the Junior Wallabies must regroup quickly to face the host nation.

Teams

New Zealand: 15 Cohen Norrie, 14 Oliver Guerin, 13 David Lewai, 12 Haki Wiseman (c), 11 Siale Pahulu, 10 Mika Muliaina, 9 Charlie Sinton (c), 8 Patrick Mauga, 7 Caleb Woodley (c), 6 Finn McLeod, 5 Jake Frost, 4 Max Fale, 3 Dane Johnston, 2 Henry Stuart, 1 Josh Findlay.
Replacements: 16 Luka Patumaka Makata, 17 Ethan Webber, 18 Alexander Hewitt, 19 John Falloon, 20 Micah Fale, 21 Jackson Hughan, 22 Jay Reihana, 23 Logan Williams.

Australia: 15 Louis Fenwicke, 14 Riley Whitfeld, 13 Leo Jaques, 12 Frankie Goldsbrough, 11 Cooper Watters, 10 Finn Mackay, 9 Angus Grover, 8 Eli Langi, 7 Marshall Le Maitre, 6 Tom Robinson (c), 5 Isaac Fonua, 4 Will Ross, 3 Edwin Langi, 2 Ewald Kruger, 1 Jacob Job.
Replacements: 16 Tyler Maybery, 17 Harper Strachan, 18 Jonah Rangiwai, 19 Kenneth Harris, 20 Cooper Eagle, 21 Sam Blank, 22 Jonty Fowler, 23 Taione Taka.

Match details

New Zealand 34 (Tries: Norrie 2, Stuart, Wiseman, Woodley, Williams; Conversions: Muliaina 2/6)
Australia 29 (Tries: Le Maitre, Whitfeld, Taka, Mackay, Jaques; Conversions: Mackay 2/5)
Half-time: 12–24

Venue: Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium, Gqeberha
Referee: Hanru van Rooyen (South Africa)

Argentina U20 28 South Africa U20 30

The South Africa U20 team displayed immense character and resilience as they secured a thrilling 30-28 victory over a determined Argentina U20 side in the final round of the Rugby Championship U20 tournament at Sunshine Coast Stadium in Australia. The match was decided by a last-gasp penalty kick from flyhalf Philip-Albert van Niekerk, who held his nerve to secure the win for the Junior Springboks.

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Coming into the game, South Africa were searching for their first win of the competition, while Argentina had an outside chance of claiming the inaugural trophy. The South Africans made several changes to their starting lineup, with Zachary Porthen returning as captain after missing the previous match due to a hand injury.

The Junior Springboks started the match with a bang, as centre Jurenzo Julius crossed the whitewash within the opening 45 seconds. However, Argentina gradually found their footing, taking advantage of South African mistakes and ill-discipline. Winger Franco Rossetto scored a first-half hat-trick for Argentina, with two of his tries coming while South Africa were down to 14 men after Ezekiel Ngobeni was shown a yellow card. Argentina held a commanding 21-7 lead at halftime.

The second half witnessed a stunning comeback from the South Africans as they responded to coach Bafana Nhleko’s halftime team talk with renewed determination and intensity. Tries from No. 8 Tiaan Jacobs and replacement prop Casper Badenhorst, both scored from quick-tap penalties, brought South Africa within striking distance of Argentina.

The final 15 minutes of the match were heart-stopping, with the lead changing hands several times. South Africa took a 27-21 lead through a penalty from van Niekerk and a try from captain Zachary Porthen. However, Rossetto’s fourth try and a conversion from replacement back Santino Di Lucca put Argentina ahead 28-27 with just five minutes left on the clock.

In a dramatic conclusion, the Junior Springboks kept their composure and earned a penalty in front of the posts after the final hooter had sounded. Van Niekerk stepped up to the challenge and slotted the game-winning penalty, ensuring South Africa a 30-28 victory.

Coach Bafana Nhleko commended his team’s fighting spirit and character in overcoming a disappointing first-half performance. While acknowledging that there is room for improvement, particularly in the lineouts, Nhleko expressed satisfaction with the team’s never-say-die attitude and ability to find a way to win.

The Junior Springboks will now return home to complete their preparations for the upcoming World Rugby U20 Championship, set to take place in Cape Town later this year.