Junior Boks return as heroes
The Junior Springboks returned to South Africa as heroes following their title winning efforts at the recent World Rugby Under 20 Championships in Italy.
Saturday's final saw coach Kevin Foote's team beat the Junior All Blacks 23-15 in an intense final. The victory saw the Under 20 side win the World Championship for the first time since 2012 where they beat the same opposition in Cape Town to lift the title.
It had also been over ten years since the side had appeared in a final, having last featured in the grand final in 2014.
Junior Boks captain Riley Norton spoke about the importance of the Under 20 Rugby Championship where the Springboks went up against New Zealand, Australia and Argentina - all teams that they would beat at the World Championship.
"We had so much time to work on our combinations and our culture and trust off the field," Norton said. "As South Africans if we can trust each other it can really influence each other on the field especially when it gets to the tough times and when you have your back against the wall."
Norton's side were dominant throughout the competition and finished unbeaten. During the group phase they beat Australia, England and Scotland.
In their semi-final they scored over 40 points against Argentina in order to set up a classic finale against the All Blacks.
Head coach Kevin Foote said that it was a difficult wait for such a late kick-off, but he was proud of how the team handled the pressure and the ocassion.
"After our captains run the day before you have to wait until 8:30pm for kick-off," Foote said. "During the game I saw the team's body language and the leadership group and they looked very confident.
"I didn't enjoy the game until the final whistle to be honest, but I guess that's coaching; you have to enjoy it after."
Vusi Moyo finished the tournament as the top points’ scorer with 63, while Haashim Pead scored six tries, placing him second for the most tries in the tournament.
