All Blacks in DIRE trouble after New Zealand U20 side embarrassed
· The South African
New Zealand’s Under-20 side failed to defend their U20 Rugby Championship title after an embarrassing 25-17 defeat to Argentina at the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on Sunday.
Visit afrikasportnews.co.za for more information.
The Baby Blacks trailed 15-12 at half-time in Gqeberha and were unable to recover, with the absence of a losing bonus point proving a decisive blow to their title hopes.
That result opened the door for the Junior Springboks, who seized the opportunity in emphatic fashion with a 56-17 victory over Australia later in the day.
Unassailable lead
The bonus-point win secured an unassailable lead at the top of the standings for South Africa, confirming their first-ever U20 Rugby Championship title with a round to spare.
Having beaten Australia 34-29 in their opening fixture, New Zealand’s defeat to Argentina ultimately ended their title defence, setting up a final-round meeting with the Junior Boks that will now serve as a dead rubber.
The Junior Springboks beat Argentina 48-21 in their opening match.
While the championship outcome has been decided, the clash between the two southern hemisphere rugby powers is still expected to draw significant attention as both sides look to finish their campaigns on a high.
Gulf in class
New Zealand’s loss once again highlighted the gulf in class and depth between their juniors and South Africa’s.
It’s been clearly evident for a number of years now that New Zealand no longer possess the talent that was once at their disposal.
Having won six of the first 10 World Rugby Junior World Championship titles, New Zealand haven’t tasted success since 2017.
With few (none?) players emerging from their youth ranks, coupled to the growing exodus of players abroad – and the ban on selecting them – new All Blacks coach Dave Rennie has a tough assignment on his hands.
On current form, the clash between the Junior Springboks and Baby Blacks on Saturday, 9 May at 16:10 shouldn’t even be close.
Australia and Argentina will take on one another on the same day at 14:00.