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The Junior Springboks ground out a 48-24 victory over Argentina on a hot and humid Monday evening at the Stadio Luigi Zaffanella in Viadana, Italy.
Six tries to three tells a story of its own, but it was far from a perfect performance and the SA U20s will realise they have a lot of hard work ahead before Saturday's decider, with their discipline one of the areas that will need attention.
It's the Junior Boks' first final in the competition since 2014, and while they showed true grit on defence against a gutsy Argentine team, the two yellow cards and 15 penalties conceded will need attention as they prepare to face New Zealand in Rovigo on Saturday evening.
The game started like two boxers feeling each other out, trading jabs but not inflicting much damage, until the Junior Boks exploded into life with two heavy body blows in two minutes.
From a scrum free kick close the Pumitas' tryline, Haashim Pead (scrumhalf) took a quick tap, attacked the space and put Albie Bester (centre) away for the first try of the match, with Vusi Moyo (flyhalf) adding the extras.
From the restart, Pead finished after barnstorming flanker Batho Hlekani bust through the Argentinean defence, fed Wandile Mlaba (No 8) who made good ground before he put the quicksilver scrumhalf away for his sixth try of the tournament. Moyo's conversion made it 14-0 and in a blink, the Junior Boks had taken control.
Argentina clawed three points back with a 14th minute penalty goal, but shortly thereafter Jaco Williams (wing) scored a fortuitous try after chasing a clever chip by Moyo into space, with the bounce beating the Pumitas cover into the hands of the South African speedster.
Moyo converted and at 21-3, the Junior Boks were firmly in control. Six minutes later it was 28-3 as JJ Theron (lock) drove over from short range after a strong lineout drive by the South Africans.
But Argentina were not outdone and slowly clawed their way back into the game, as the South Africans started to make mistakes and conceding penalties which saw the momentum swing.
When prop Simphiwe Ngobese was yellow-carded for a professional foul, the Pumitas took their chance and scored their first try of the match, by eighthman Agustin Garcia Campos from a lineout drive, to make it 28-10 at the break.
Argentina started the second half on the front foot and as Junior Bok coach Kevin Foote brought on a five-forward Bomb Squad, the Pumitas scored their second try to make it an 11-point game with half an hour to go.
But the Junior Bok replacements started to come into the game as two Moyo penalty goals followed by Bester's second try, from a midfield turnover after a good run by his midfield partner Demitre Erasmus, increased South Africa's lead to 41-17 on the hour mark.
Forced to defend for most of the final 20 minutes, the Junior Boks did very well to keep wave after wave of Argentinean attacks at bay, and although the Pumitas scored in the 73rd minute, it wasn't enough as the South Africans closed the game out with a superb try by Cheswill Jooste (wing) which started on their own tryline.
Scorers:
Junior Springboks 48 (28) - Tries: Albie Bester (2), Haashim Pead, Jaco Williams, JJ Theron, Cheswill Jooste. Conversions: Vusi Moyo (5), Dominic Malgas. Penalty goals: Moyo (2).
Argentina 24 (10) - Tries: AgustÃn Garcia Campos, Timoteo Silva, Ramon Fernandez Miranda. Conversions: Rafael Benedit (2), Pascal Senillosa. Penalty goal: Benedit.
