Junior Boks want to finish off with proper showing, says Norton

Despite comfortably wrapping up the U20 Rugby Championship title with a match to spare, there will be no slacking off in the Junior Springbok ranks when they face arch-rivals New Zealand in Gqeberha on Saturday, skipper Riley Norton says.

The on-fire Boks lifted the title for the first time on Sunday thanks to an emphatic bonus point win over Argentina and Australia in the opening two rounds of the four-team tournament at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium.

Norton warned that if the Baby Boks were lulled into a sense of false security, they would come unstuck against a powerful New Zealand side (kickoff 4.10pm).

The Baby Blacks’ hopes of successfully defending their title were shattered when they crashed to a shock defeat against an energised Argentina side on Sunday.

A wary Norton is expecting the wounded New Zealanders to come out with guns blazing as they attempt to salvage lost pride in Saturday’s tournament finale.

“If you take your foot off the gas against a team like New Zealand, they will punish you,” he warned.

“The Junior Boks want to finish this tournament properly and keep on improving.

“You will naturally be up for a game against New Zealand, because they are one of our biggest rivals and we have a lot of respect for them.

“If we take our foot off the pedal now, rugby can come back and bite you.

“We must go even harder and push ourselves and finish off this tournament with a lot of pride.”

Norton thanked the partisan 10,000 crowd who cheered the Boks to victory over the Wallabies for their unwavering support.

“People have come out in big numbers for the opening two rounds and you don’t want to disappoint them or ourselves in the final round on Saturday,” he said.

“There is a lot of motivation in the team, so I don’t think that [complacency] will be a factor at all in our final game.

“The Junior Boks want to finish as best as we can and keep on improving.

“I know on points we have won the Rugby Championship, but we want to finish off the tournament with a proper showing.

The on-fire Junior Boks were crowned U20 Rugby Championship winners for the first time with a match to spare when they beat Australia 56-17 in the second round of the four-team tournament in Gqeberha on Sunday. Thanks to the commanding bonus point win, the Boks opened an unbeatable lead at the top of the log ahead of the final round of matches on Saturday. After beating Australia in their opening match, New Zealand crashed to a shock 25-17 loss against Argentina in Sunday’s early second-round match. SA will next face New Zealand in the third round of the tournament at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Saturday (kickoff 4.10pm). The Baby Boks and Australia got the second game off to a blistering start with both sides showing their attacking intent in the opening minutes of the clash. It was SA who struck the first blow of the contest when they spread the ball wide and wing Jack Benade dotted down in the 13th minute. The Wallabies were down to 14 men after 15 minutes when Leo Jaques was on the receiving end of a yellow card from referee Gonzalo de Achaval for a high tackle. Showing plenty of pace and strength, the Boks were over for a second try when Wasi Vyambwera cut the Australian defence wide open to give his team a 12-0 lead. At this point, the Boks were rampant against an Australian side who were struggling to match the speed and physicality of the home team. Matters got worse for Australia after 25 minutes when referee De Achaval awarded a penalty try after a maul was collapsed. That indiscretion resulted in Australia having Isaac Fonua sent to the sin bin as SA took a firm grip on the contest with a 21-0 lead after 25 minutes. Eight minutes before halftime, inventive Australian flyhalf Finn Mackay darted his way through the Bok defence to score his team’s first points. Australia’s discipline was letting them down, and they had a third player yellow-carded and a second penalty try awarded against them to leave SA with a commanding 28-7 lead. Despite only having 13 players on the field, Australia hit back with a try by Riley Whitfeld, which cut the Boks’ lead to 28-12 at halftime. Australia came charging out of the starting blocks in the second half, but they were unable to breach the Boks’ water-tight defence. It was Ethan “The Tank” Adams who stretched SA’s lead to 35-12 with a bulldozing run which splintered the Aussie defence after 51 minutes. Further tries from Hendre Schoeman, Luke Cannon and Yaqeen Ahmed sealed the deal for the Baby Boks. Scorers: South Africa 56: Tries: Jack Benade, Wasi Vyambwera, Penalty Tries (x2, each worth seven points), Ethan Adams, Hendre Schoeman, Luke Cannon and Yaqeen Ahmed. Conversions: Yaqeen Ahmed (4), Vusi Moyo (2). Australia 17: Tries: Finn Mackay, Riley Whitfeld, Taione Taka. Conversion: Mackay. In the opening match, it was Argentina who enjoyed early territorial advantage. The pressure eventually paid off for Los Pumitas when flyhalf Federico Serpa went over for a try in the corner after slick play by scrumhalf Juan Preumayr in the 15th minute. Argentina continued to keep New Zealand on the back foot, and their dominance was rewarded when Serpa slotted a penalty to push their lead out to 8-0 after 24 minutes. New Zealand clawed their way back into the contest when skipper Haki Wiseman crashed over for a try after 32 minutes. Shortly afterwards, the Baby Blacks were down to 13 men after referee Ella Goldsmith carded Jake Frost and Ethan Webber. Undeterred by their numerical disadvantage, JD van der Westhuizen crossed the whitewash for New Zealand’s second try to leave Argentina with a 15-12 halftime advantage. Argentina extended their lead to 20-12 when wing Luciano Avaca scored an intercept try in the 55th minute. Scorers: Argentina 25: Tries: Federico Serpa, Penalty Try (worth seven points), Luciano Avaca, Ramon Fernandez. Penalty: Serpa. New Zealand 17: Tries: Haki Wiseman, JD van der Westhuizen, Finn McLeod. Conversion: Cohen Norrie. Follow The Herald WhatsApp channel today and stay connected to the stories shaping our world. The Herald

“Winning any tournament is great and you have to embrace those moments because in rugby you never know when they will come again.

“Last year lifting the World Cup trophy after a 12-year wait was extremely special.

“I think this one in front of our home crowd will be equally as special on Saturday.

“Our job now is to prepare well for the week ahead and look and see what New Zealand will offer on Saturday.

“You can never count them out because they are an unbelievable team.

“Only after the match will we look at lifting the trophy.

“For us, it’s about character and care when we play for South Africa.

“The off-field connection has been unbelievable, and that carries onto the field.

Composure under pressure and retaining possession will be vital ingredients in the Junior Boks’ recipe for success in their remaining two matches against Australia and New Zealand at the U20 Rugby Championship tournament, says coach Kevin Foote. The mentor said important lessons were learnt during the final 20 minutes about the importance of looking after the ball when the Junior Boks ran out 48-21 winners over Argentina in Gqeberha on Monday. After running up a 36-0 lead at halftime, the Boks lost momentum, and Argentina hit back with three second-half tries to take some of the fizz out of the Bok win. SA lead the standings after the opening round on five points, followed by New Zealand on four and Australia on one, while Argentina have still to open their account. Bok skipper Riley Norton said character, heart and a spirit of togetherness had helped the Junior Springboks to power their way to a commanding win at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium A delighted Norton also praised the Boks for fronting up for 80 minutes against a physical Los Pumitas outfit, which ended strongly in front of a passionate crowd of 11,000 fans. They never stopped fighting for 80 minutes ... I am proud of the guys for fronting up because playing Argentina is always intense and physical, and it was no different this time Norton will be looking for more of the same from the Junior Boks in their second outing against a dangerous Australian side at the same venue on Sunday (kickoff 4.10pm). The Bok try scorers against Argentina were Jack Benade (3), Ethan Adams (2), Hendre Schoeman, Yaqeen Ahmed and Oliver Reid. Despite going down 34-29 in their opening clash against defending champions New Zealand, the Junior Wallabies impressed with their slick handling skills and all-round play. “Our composure and control were huge, and that is Test match rugby,” Norton said. “You have to keep yourself composed under pressure, and also you have to keep the ball. “When we did keep ball, we were very good on attack — but when we turned it over, the Argentinians always came back with passion and heart, and we had to defend well. “There were good lessons for us in the last 20 minutes to just look after the ball. The Junior Boks want to play an exciting brand of rugby, and when you start falling into the trap of not playing Test match rugby, you can maybe make mistakes. “We never want to stop the guys from expressing themselves. The main thing is understanding when the pass is on and when it is time to carry the ball. Our journey is just starting now, and the reality is we will grow from this, and we are grateful for the experience.” Norton praised Argentina for staying in the fight until the final whistle. “Credit to Argentina, and they are a very passionate team with a strong set piece. As a forward I know they have an awesome scrum, and their set piece is their bread and butter, and they like to attack you there. Their maul is also great, so it was an intense game, and credit to them,” he said. “They never stopped fighting for 80 minutes and they never hung in the boot. I am proud of the guys for fronting up because playing Argentina is always intense and physical, and it was no different this time. “This Junior Bok side has character and we are a close team, and I think defence is all about that. Even if you don’t have the greatest technique, this team always fights for the guy next to him and that is important.” Remaining fixtures Sunday: 2pm: New Zealand vs Argentina; 4.10pm: Junior Boks vs Australia. May 9: 2pm: Argentina vs Australia; 4.10pm: Junior Boks vs New Zealand. Follow The Herald WhatsApp channel today and stay connected to the stories shaping our world. The Herald

“We’ve got an awesome group of guys who are willing to sacrifice for each other.

“It means a lot playing at home here in Gqeberha.

“You feel the crowd, and it pushes you to give more for the guy next to you.”

Thanks to the commanding 56-17 bonus point win over the Junior Wallabies, the Boks opened an unbeatable lead at the top of the log ahead of the final round of matches.

After beating Australia in their opening match, New Zealand crashed to a shock 25-17 loss against Argentina in Sunday’s early second-round match.

Saturday’s fixtures: 2pm: Argentina vs Australia; 4.10pm: Junior Boks vs New Zealand.

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