Junior Springboks credit defensive grit for remarkable comeback win over England

The Junior Springboks refused to panic under pressure before they clawed their way back into Friday night’s thrilling World Rugby U20 Championship match against England, recording their second win of the tournament in Italy.

Sparked into life by some individual backline brilliance, the Junior Boks managed to erase an early 14-0 deficit.

But much of the credit for the 32-22 win must go to the entire team for a sterling defensive effort as a unit, especially in the closing stages when enterprising centre Gino Cupido had been sin-binned.

“England started unbelievably, running great lines, keeping us on our toes,” skipper Riley Norton said in the post-match media conference.

“I think we were rushed because they were putting us under a lot of pressure. I think our timing in the tackle could have been a lot better.

“We struck back with some excellent strike set-piece plays, some individual standouts, and we just came back fighting and went into the break three points behind.”

Standout scrumhalf Haashim Pead's first try and another brilliant five-pointer from fullback Gilermo Mentoe were just reward for champagne running rugby by the SA side.

Electric wing Cheswell Jooste also had a field day against the defending champions, stepping and jinking his way past defenders with consummate ease. He sliced through the England defence to get the Junior Boks on the scoreboard.

They trailed 22-19 at the break.

“We knew that the last 40 was going to be tough, it’s going to be mentally challenging in the hot conditions, tough, humid. But we stuck in the fight,” Norton said.

“We knew we had it in us, we knew that we’re an 80-minute team. Luckily in the second half we came out with a bang, with some great play. Then in the last 15 to 20 minutes we just put our hearts on our sleeves. As South Africans, we are known for our defensive grit and we’re proud of the way we defended.”

Head coach Kevin Foote also praised the defensive character and maturity of his team in a second half where they scored 13 unanswered points.

“A lot has been said about our defence not really connecting, but we just needed time together,” Foote said.

“There are two things. One is our combinations are really starting to click on defence. The second thing is the character. Guys were absolutely flying in towards the end. With 14 men, I think this is testament to our culture in the team and how hard we want to play for each other.”

With 10 points from two bonus-points wins in the pool phase, the Junior Boks are now gearing up for the final pool match against Scotland on Wednesday.