Here at BlitzBokke.com HQ we’re still pumped after watching the pulsating game between the Springbok Under 20 team and their Australian counterparts in the last Pool C game of the IRB Junior World Championships in Argentina.
We’re obviously in Hong Kong but we were watching all the action LIVE and free directly from the IRB website, the best live stream that you’ll ever encounter (including that from RugbyZone.com).
It’s just before 9am on this side of the noodle-gordyn and after getting only about an hour’s shut-eye, we just thought we had to get this story out while the Boys are still awake over in Santa Fe. (According to the FaceBook chatter, they obviously still are!)
The SA Under-20s booked their place in Thursday’s IRB Junior World Championship semi-finals on Sunday despite going down 42-35 to Australia in Sante Fe.
The Baby Boks and Australia each scored five tries in this game which saw both sides play an attractive brand of rugby at the Stadio CA Colon.
“Obviously I am disappointed with the defeat and likewise the players are also disappointed, but there are positives to take away from this match as we prepare for the semi-finals,” said SA Under-20 coach Eric Sauls.
Baby Boks mentor, Eric Sauls
“We scored five tries against an Australian side which boasts many Vodacom Super 14 and Sevens players. Maybe on the negatives, there were a few tackles that we slipped which allowed them a bit of forward momentum, incidentally on some of those slipped tackles, the Australians managed to score tries. The Aussies also scored two tries from turnover ball which broke our initial momentum early in the game after we held an eight-point lead.”
“We’ll spend most of tomorrow traveling to Rosario and will start our preparations for the semifinals on Monday evening. New Zealand, Australia and England are all good teams, and we’re happy that we are joining them in Rosario for the semi-finals.”
Winger Wandile Mjekevu scored two tries while centre Jaco Taute, fullback Patrick Lambie and prop Marcel van der Merwe were the other players to score five-pointers for the South Africans. Lambie kicked two conversions two penalties.
Winger Dominic Shipperley scored a hat trick of tries for the Australians while flanker Edward Quirk and centre Robbie Coleman also ran in tries for the Aussies. Flyhalf Matt Toomua kicked four conversions and three penalties.
“The guys are bitterly disappointed with the defeat, but the motivation to win the Junior World Championship is still there,” said SA Under-20 captain CJ Stander.
“It’s never a nice feeling to lose a game and the players admitted to each other we don’t intend to suffer a feeling like we did today again in the tournament. We’re a tight group of players and management, and I believe the guys will stand up on Thursday.”
Scorers: SA Under-20s – Tries: Wandile Mjekevu (2), Jaco Taute, Patrick Lambie, Marcel van der Merwe; Conversions: Lambie (2); Penalty: Lambie (2). Australia Under-20 – Tries: Dominic Shipperley (3), Edward Quirk, Robbie Coleman, ; Conversions: Toomua (4); Conversions: Toomua (3).
We took the following screenshots from this morning’s game:
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