MyZA

News, Directory, Events and Other Stuff

You are here: Home / News / Sport / Junior Boks finish Championship on positive note

Junior Boks finish Championship on positive note

Junior Springbok head coach Bafana Nhleko praised his players’ dedication and character as they beat Wales to finish their 2024 World Rugby U20 Championship campaign on a positive note in Cape Town on Friday.

With their pack of forwards setting the tone, the Junior Springbok regained some pride when they beat Wales by 47-31 (half-time 19-5) in their seventh-place playoff.

The South Africans scored seven tries – six of them by the forwards – with livewire No 8 Sibabalwe Mahashe and team captain Zachary Porthen (prop) scoring a brace of five-pointers each.

There were still a few soft moments, but overall, the Junior Boks can be satisfied with their performance, probably their best of the Championship, as they really made a step up after disappointing results against Argentina and England.

The Junior Boks’ direct approach laid the platform for the winning performance as they led 19-5 at the interval, and although they let in a couple of tries after the break, they continued to apply pressure with some impressive attacking rugby to finish the tournament on a winning note.

Speaking afterwards, Nhleko praised the character of the team to bounce back after two difficult weeks, which saw them ending on the losing side three times in as many games.

“We are disappointed with our campaign, but I must give credit to the boys, I thought they showed great character after a difficult time,” said Nhleko.

“They did well today, created good opportunities within the plan and our execution was also a lot better despite some errors. The players showed a lot of dedication and worked hard during the past few months together.

“I am happy we could finish with a good game, although not what we wanted but this is a moment in their careers – if not their entire lives – they have a lot to look forward to and I want to wish them well for their future careers.”

A clearly pleased Porthen said he was glad they could deliver a good display in their final outing: “It felt good to give a performance like that and to finish the tournament in a high note. I think the win is a reward for the hard work the group continued to put into our preparations.

“We wanted to show that we were better than our recent results. The results didn’t go our way the past few weeks, but I am nevertheless proud of this group,” added Porthen.

Category: Tag:

If you feel strongly about this article then feel free to send MyZA a ‘Letter to the Editor’ using the submission form below:

Letter to the Editor

This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.
If this is in response to an article please include that article title here or as the lead in for the first paragraph of your Letter below.

Separate tags with commas

Localise your letter by naming the city your words are about. Add relevant words describing your subject. Single comma separated words of no more than 5
Your Name(Required)
Your Name will be linked to the website below.
Your personal, business or social media web site
Choose NO to not set up a user account on MyZA. User Accounts will allow you to submit letters under your own Author Name

3 Latest Letters to the Editor:

  • Fun South African fact

    Dear Editor Fun South African fact: towns like Franschhoek and Stellenbosch are home to world-class wine farms set in stunning, scenic surroundings. Regards Aressa Smith In Response to/From: Luxury Properties Seized in New Lottery Crackdown

  • Condolences on the Passing of Lusanda Dumke

    Statement by Leander Kruger MPL – DA Buffalo City Constituency Leader: The Democratic Alliance in Buffalo City Metropolitan Municipality mourns the passing of Springbok Women’s rugby player and Mdantsane trailblazer, Lusanda Dumke, who lost her battle with cancer at the age of 28. South Africa has lost an exceptional athlete, a leader, and a source…

  • Rape Kits Delivered, But…

    Statement by Nicholas Gotsell MP – DA NCOP Member on Security & Justice: The DA can confirm that 2 840 rape kits arrived in Cape Town on Monday, following sustained DA oversight and pressure after multiple police stations across the Western Cape were found to be without this critical forensic evidence tool. While this delivery…

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Asif Karim of Kenya has played International cricket and Davis Cup (Tennis) for his countryAsif Karim

  2. Sport Trivia: Who was the first South African driver win the F1 Grand Prix championship? Answer: Jody Scheckter. Jody Scheckter\’s F1 debut was with McLaren in 1972. He then had his first full season in F1 with Tyrell in 1974. In 1977 & 1978 he drove for Wolf. In 1979 he drove for Ferrari, going on to win the F1 championship that year. He also won his tenth and last GP, the Italian that year. He was one of only two drivers to ever race with the number 0, the other being Damon Hill.