England upset the tournament favourites, South Africa, 28-20 in the semi-finals to extend their quest for a third successive Under-20 World Championship. They play New Zealand in Saturday’s final.
It is the third time the two sides will have met in the final, with New Zealand having won the previous three encounters, the most recent in 2011. The All Blacks will be heavily backed to continue that run, after they dismissed France – who had beaten England 30-18 in their pool game less than a week earlier – 45-7 in their semi-final.
England’s path to the final was very different, with the forwards dominant in a game of few try-scoring chances. South Africa suffered through indiscipline, with both their captain, Hanro Liebenberg, and second-row Jason Jenkins receiving yellow cards in the first half-hour. England’s Nick Tompkins finished the game in the sin-bin, allowing the Springboks to score two tries in three late minutes, through Malcolm Jaer and Daniel du Plessis, whose father Michael played eight Tests for South Africa in the 1980s.
An attritional opening saw the sides trade penalties, with England going 3-0 and 6-3 ahead through Rory Jennings only to reach the 20-minute mark level at 6-6. But while Jenkins was off the pitch England drove their way to their first try, James Chisholm eventually touching down, and from a scrum they were given a penalty try moments before half-time, which England reached 18-6 in front.
In the second half South Africa passed up several presentable opportunities to kick for goal, choosing instead to go for touch and failing to make England pay. Jennings, meanwhile, converted his one opportunity to stretch England’s lead to 21-6 and, when Brandon Thomson finally kicked for goal for South Africa, it sailed wide of the target.
When Tompkins scored England’s third try with nine minutes remaining, taking the score to 28-6, the die looked cast but he was yellow-carded for an illegal tackle five minutes later, giving South Africa a glimmer of hope. Though the baby Boks capitalised clinically on their numerical superiority, they did not quite have time to turn the game round.
“We looked at the performance against France and we weren’t happy,” the England captain, Charlie Ewels, said. “Individuals worked really hard this week and we trained well as a team and we are far happier with that performance. This team didn’t win the last two years. The Under-20 team is different every year, so this team is trying to build its own legacy.”
