Junior Boks rally past Argentina to open U20 Rugby Championship with a win

The hosts were 20-15 down at the break and fell even further behind after the South Americans scored another try shortly after the restart to take a 10-point lead, but a superb fightback saw them earn a well-deserved victory to leave the crowd of close to 9,000 smiling.

Three second-half tries by the Junior Boks moved them past their opponents and onto the top of the tournament log after Australia scored a converted try after the buzzer in the first game to draw with New Zealand in the opening game.

South Africa had the better start, with a good try in the first 15 minutes of play. Flyhalves Kyle Smith and Rafael Benedit first exchanged penalty goals for a 3-3 scoreline, before livewire Junior Bok scrumhalf Haashim Pead scored after darting through a gap.

Pumitas fullback Pascal Senillosa cancelled it out when he ran onto his own grubber and with the conversion good, it was clear that the Junior Boks had their work cut out.

SA centre Demitre Erasmus and Argentina winger Bautista Lescano then scored tries which were just rewards for some industrious play by both backlines, but some ill-discipline by the Junior Boks allowed Benedit to edge his side ahead with a second penalty goal.

Felipe Ledesma edged Argentina further ahead shortly after the break, but slowly and surely the Junior Boks started to put the squeeze onto their opponents, despite some misfiring lineouts and scrums.

First Pead scored his second try before Junior Bok captain Riley Norton went over to edge the home side closer and eventually past their opponents for the first time in the half, handing his side a 29-25 lead after 53 minutes.

The Junior Boks put in one big hit after the other, but it was their broken field running game that was starting to tell and from another good burst, Gino Cupido finished off in the left-hand corner, with the wing's try extending the lead even further.

SA replacement prop JD Erasmus had the crowd on their feet shortly after following a strong burst, but the try was disallowed as he was deemed to have used his knees to propel himself forward.

A bit later another try, this time by replacement loose forward Batho Hlekani, didn't stand due to a forward pass, but it was clear the Junior Boks had the upper hand with time running out on the clock.

Some good defence held out a desperate Argentina in the final stages, with determined hits keeping the team in blue and white scoreless in the last minutes, despite a strong attacking spell in the red zone of the hosts.

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