A last gasp Curwin Bosch conversion saw the Baby Boks escape with a barely deserved 23-all draw in their opening match of the 2017 World Rugby U20 Championship at the Avchala Stadium in Tbilisi, Georgia, yesterday afternoon.
The team’s standout forward, eighthman Juarno Augustus, crashed over for his and the team’s second try of the game in the 82nd minute after a desperate finish to the match.
Bosch then stepped up and slotted a brilliant pressure kick into the wind, pulling the ball left, with the wind then blowing it back to the right and through the poles as the players celebrated as if they had won the match.
It was a disappointing performance overall, with the Baby Bok forwards’ continuous attempts to smash through the French defence thwarted time and again, while a number of aimless kicks and plenty of handling errors also contributing to a limp effort.
Former Selbornian David Brits and ex-Queenian Yaw Penxe were playing in their debut match for the team but will look to put the largely forgetful game behind them.
Both players received very little ball, with Penxe particularly starved on the right flank.
Both also made a couple of mistakes with Brits being robbed of the ball and knocking on, while Penxe was beaten out wide on one occasion.
However, they also managed some good play with Brits enjoying a strong carry, while he turned over a ball superbly that eventually led to a successful Bosch penalty in the second half.
Penxe had an exciting run down the right hand touchline and chip into the 22m that almost led to points for the team.
But those moments were few and far between as the team played a very forward-orientated game that the French easily repelled, almost earning them what would have been their first ever win over the Baby Boks.
The match started in cracking fashion for the South Africans as they took a 10-0 lead in the first seven minutes.
From the kick-off, a knock-on from France gave the Baby Boks possession in their 22m, with them keeping the ball tight and going through the phases, before Augustus burrowed over to the right of the poles.
Bosch slotted the conversion and then four minutes later he was successful with his first penalty to put them further ahead.
However, from the restart France put the South Africans under pressure in their own 22m and scrumhalf Rewan Kruger tried to make an ill-judged clearance with French fullback Romain Buros right on top of him, ending with the ball charged down and Buros over in the left hand corner for an unconverted score.
Two yellow cards, to wing Wandisile Simelane in the 18th minute for a trip, and then prop Gerhard Steenekamp in the 28th for repeated red zone infringements kept the young Boks on the back foot, with France finally capitalising in the 30th minute with a converted score to take a 12-10 lead into half time.
A frantic first 15 minutes in the second half saw France scrumhalf Baptiste Couilloud score just after the restart; Bosch slot a penalty in the 46th minute; and then France flyhalf Romain Ntamack kick two drop goals in the 50th and 55th minutes, as France took a 23-13 lead.
A Bosch penalty in the 67th minute and then the late dramatic converted try saw the Baby Boks pull a draw from the jaws of defeat.
Baby Boks squeak in after limp performance
The team’s standout forward, eighthman Juarno Augustus, crashed over for his and the team’s second try of the game in the 82nd minute after a desperate finish to the match.
Bosch then stepped up and slotted a brilliant pressure kick into the wind, pulling the ball left, with the wind then blowing it back to the right and through the poles as the players celebrated as if they had won the match.
It was a disappointing performance overall, with the Baby Bok forwards’ continuous attempts to smash through the French defence thwarted time and again, while a number of aimless kicks and plenty of handling errors also contributing to a limp effort.
Former Selbornian David Brits and ex-Queenian Yaw Penxe were playing in their debut match for the team but will look to put the largely forgetful game behind them.
Both players received very little ball, with Penxe particularly starved on the right flank.
Both also made a couple of mistakes with Brits being robbed of the ball and knocking on, while Penxe was beaten out wide on one occasion.
However, they also managed some good play with Brits enjoying a strong carry, while he turned over a ball superbly that eventually led to a successful Bosch penalty in the second half.
Penxe had an exciting run down the right hand touchline and chip into the 22m that almost led to points for the team.
But those moments were few and far between as the team played a very forward-orientated game that the French easily repelled, almost earning them what would have been their first ever win over the Baby Boks.
The match started in cracking fashion for the South Africans as they took a 10-0 lead in the first seven minutes.
From the kick-off, a knock-on from France gave the Baby Boks possession in their 22m, with them keeping the ball tight and going through the phases, before Augustus burrowed over to the right of the poles.
Bosch slotted the conversion and then four minutes later he was successful with his first penalty to put them further ahead.
However, from the restart France put the South Africans under pressure in their own 22m and scrumhalf Rewan Kruger tried to make an ill-judged clearance with French fullback Romain Buros right on top of him, ending with the ball charged down and Buros over in the left hand corner for an unconverted score.
Two yellow cards, to wing Wandisile Simelane in the 18th minute for a trip, and then prop Gerhard Steenekamp in the 28th for repeated red zone infringements kept the young Boks on the back foot, with France finally capitalising in the 30th minute with a converted score to take a 12-10 lead into half time.
A frantic first 15 minutes in the second half saw France scrumhalf Baptiste Couilloud score just after the restart; Bosch slot a penalty in the 46th minute; and then France flyhalf Romain Ntamack kick two drop goals in the 50th and 55th minutes, as France took a 23-13 lead.
A Bosch penalty in the 67th minute and then the late dramatic converted try saw the Baby Boks pull a draw from the jaws of defeat.
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