Despite a 45-minute delay in the match, the Junior Springboks managed to defeat France 16-5 in the U20 Rugby World Cup final, which took place in Tbilisi, Georgia, on Saturday evening.
Securing the Title
The Junior Boks retained their title by securing a tense victory over the French team. This win extended their unbeaten streak in the tournament to 11 games and marked their first victory over Les Bleus since 2019.
Significance of the Triumph
This success marks the first time South Africa has combined victories in two consecutive senior World Cup tournaments with two consecutive junior titles. This brings them closer to France's record of three consecutive junior world cup championships.
Match Progression
Earlier on Saturday, the Springboks had beaten Wales. Early in the game, Yakin Ahmed calmed nerves by converting a penalty in the eighth minute. However, the slippery pitch made the first half a battle full of errors.
During the match, France attempted to score through Romeo Bonnard Martin, but the goal was disallowed due to an infringement by South African fullback Alzeadon Felix. Ahmed then doubled the lead by converting a long-range penalty in the final minutes of the first half, allowing them to go into halftime with a 6-0 advantage.
Second Half Development
The French were able to respond six minutes into the second half when Raphael Odebert went out of bounds, narrowing the gap to 6-5. Tension mounted when Samuel Badenhorst saw a South African touchdown disallowed for ball contact, but the breakthrough came in the 66th minute.
Marcus Müller, using a powerful maul, chose an excellent trajectory and managed to break through for a try, which Ahmed converted. Towards the end of the match, attempts by Cheswell Joste and Ahmed were rejected by the referees, but a decisive penalty from Ahmed for a high tackle secured a memorable and very hard-fought victory for the Junior Boks.
