A second-half comeback Junior Springboks fell short as the U20 Championship hosts were knocked out by Argentina in the fifth-place semi-final in Cape Town.
Taking a 24-10 lead into half time, Argentina’s U20 side held out against a strong comeback effort from the Junior Springboks to win 34-24 on Sunday afternoon.
Playing in the sun for the first time in the tournament, the Junior Springboks were made to lament a tough first half, where they conceded three tries, suffering a second successive defeat to Los Pumitas.
The Junior Boks did respond positively in the second half, turning the scrum battle around and outscoring Argentina 14-10.
Jurenzo Julius scored a try in each half to grab a brace and almost set up a try after the hooter with a fantastic linebreak from inside his own half.
Jurenzo Julius bltizes past for his second! ⚡#WorldRugbyU20s | #ARGvRSA pic.twitter.com/yGgySaY1hc
— World Rugby (@WorldRugby) July 14, 2024
South Africa’s U20s have one more game to salvage some pride when they take on either Australia or Wales in the seventh-place playoff on Friday.
Photo: Grant Pitcher/Gallo Images