GQEBERHA, SOUTH AFRICA - MAY 03: Riley Norton (c) of South Africa at the lineout during the U20 Rugby Championship match between South Africa and Australia at Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium on May 03, 2026 in Gqeberha, South Africa. (Photo by Richard Huggard/Gallo Images)
Junior Springbok head coach Kevin Foote credited to the squad’s growth, grit and collective belief for their superb U20 Rugby Championship success, with them sealing a first ever title in Gqeberha over the weekend.
In the third edition of the competition, with the previous two being won by the New Zealand U20s, the Junior Boks powered to an incredible title with a game to spare, after thumping wins over Argentina U20s and Australia U20s proved to be enough.
The 56-17 thrashing of the Aussies on Sunday moved the Junior Boks onto 10 points, which is out of reach of Argentina U20s and New Zealand U20s, who both sit on four points, after the Argentinians pulled off an upset 25-17 win over the double defending champs earlier in the day.
Final round
The final round this coming Saturday will see the Junior Boks up against New Zealand, while Argentina and Australia will face off, with the trophy already confirmed to stay in South Africa.
“There was a huge improvement. I think the whole squad showed what it means to play for South Africa. We showed grit and I’m super proud of everyone,” said Foote about this years showing.
“Our preparation was excellent, and the leadership from (captain) Riley (Norton) and the senior guys was really good. From how we felt a year ago on this same night (when they lost to Australia U20s), there was a lot of motivation going into this game.”
In the match the Junior Boks struggled in the first half, but were able to take a 28-12 lead into the halftime break due to an ill-disciplined first 40 minutes from Australia who conceded three yellow card and two penalty tries.
But the teams ‘bomb squad’ played a crucial role in the second half as they ran in another four tries, while conceding just one, to power to a massive win, which Foote praised after the replacements underperformed a week earlier in their 48-21 win over Argentina.
“By their own admission, they wanted to fix last week, and I thought they did that today. Our discipline has also been excellent, we haven’t had a card in this competition yet, which is massive,” added Foote.
Perfect stage
Once again, the Nelson Mandela Bay Stadium proved an ideal stage, with an enthusiastic home crowd of 9 576 driving the Junior Boks forward, with Foote describing the stadium atmosphere as amazing.
“The noise, the entertainment, the support – it’s brilliant. Every visiting team has said what a pleasure it is to play in Gqeberha,” said Foote.
Meanwhile Norton echoed those sentiments, placing emphasis on character, connection, and shared responsibility within the group.
“For us it’s about character and care. The off-field connection has been unbelievable, and that carries onto the field. We’ve got an awesome group of guys who are willing to sacrifice for each other,” said Norton.
“It means a lot playing at home. You feel the crowd, and it pushes you to give more for the guy next to you.”
Despite having already secured the championship, Norton was quick to stress that standards will not drop ahead of their final fixture against New Zealand U20 and cautioned his team to prepare well for the final encounter next week.
“If you take your foot off the gas, a team like New Zealand will punish you. We want to finish this tournament properly and keep improving.”
