Junior Boks held to thrilling draw

The Junior Boks called on hard-wired green and gold qualities to get their U20 Rugby Championship campaign under way in Queensland on Thursday.

They went toe-to-toe with arch nemesis New Zealand in atrocious conditions in a thoroughly absorbing clash at Sunshine Coast Stadium but had to settle for a 13-all draw.

Kiwi right-wing Frank Vaenuku's try with two minutes left brought the team in black level but they missed the conversion and the chance to notch up victory.

It was a match played in the spirit of rugby's greatest adversaries. Both teams took lumps out of each other as fortunes ebbed and flowed.

Crucially too, both teams called on traditional strengths.

The Junior Boks were combative in defence, applied pressure from hand and tee in their kicking game and put on the squeeze when it mattered in the scrum.

They will, however, lament not fully deploying their rolling mass action in the maul.

They played most of the match under an inordinate amount of pressure but resiliently absorbed what the Kiwis threw at them.

Tighthead prop and captain Zachary Porthen was titanic in general play and in the scrum, Bruce Sherwood was a tower of strength in midfield, while halfbacks Asad Moos and Tylor Sefoor were exceptional, despite operating on the back foot for most of the match.

It was everything but the Sunshine Coast with the ground soaked by a severe downpour before kickoff.

The conditions made ball retention all the more difficult.

Underfoot conditions were challenging and handling was far from sure.

Line-outs too proved a lottery with possession often going against the throw.

The South Africans had to scramble more.

All too often the Junior Boks had to make a splash as they retreated while the Kiwis gave chase.

The Junior Boks played mostly against a feisty breeze in the first half and were mostly on the back foot.

They defended well and occasionally used their powerful scrum to get them out of jail. The Kiwis made seven entries into the South Africans' 22 in the first half and would have expected a better return.

There were times when they were forced into imprecision but different options might have brought them a better yield.

Their fifth incursion into the Junior Bok 22 produced a kickable penalty which fullback Isaac Hutchinson converted in the 28th minute.

New Zealand could have doubled that lead in the 36th minute but opted for a scrum under their opponent's poles. They duly lost possession after the ball emerged.

Just before halftime they earned another penalty and opted for goal but missed.

New Zealand started the second half as they finished the first.

They were very much on the front foot but their game continued to be blighted by error when opportunity beckoned.

They turned to the bench in the 50th minute and it paid almost immediate dividends.

Rico Simpson's 20m cut-out pass reached left-wing Stanley Solomon on the wing and his dash and a splash resulted in New Zealand's first try in the 50th minute.

The Junior Boks too went to the bench and their riposte was sweet.

A Sefoor penalty got the Junior Boks on the board but more was to come.

A Simpson spill saw right-wing Joel Leotlela toe the ball sideways, substitute Ethan Bester pounced first before Sherwood powered ahead.

His deft offload found a speeding Leotlela for a splendid counter-punch score.

Sefoor added the conversion before adding another penalty.

He had the opportunity to potentially put the Junior Boks out of reach but missed his penalty attempt with 12 minutes left.

The Kiwis twice came close to scoring in the 72nd minute and though the Boks survived that scare they did lose replacement lock JF van Heerden to the sin bin.

Six minutes later they were found wanting out wide when Vaenuku tied up the match.

The Junior Boks play Australia next Tuesday.

Scorers

New Zealand U20 (3) 13 — Tries: Stanley Solomon, Frank Vaenuku. Penalty: Isaac Hutchinson.

South Africa U20 (0) 13 — Try: Joel Leotlela. Conversion: Tylor Sefoor. Penalties: Sefoor (2).