Baby Boks hold out hope for bronze

IT IS six years since the Junior Springboks won their only World Rugby U20 Champions title and over the past few seasons the graph is getting worse‚ not better.

On Tuesday, the latest crop of Junior Boks lost 32-31 to England in the semifinals of the 2018 edition of the tournament‚ being played in France.

It was a narrow defeat but in the cold light of day‚ suffering a fifth straight loss to England at the tournament highlighted a trend‚ rather than a once-off setback.

It was also South Africa’s second defeat of the tournament after they were resounding 46-29 losers to hosts France in their final pool match last week.

Any team can have an off year but despite some amazing talent and some of the best schoolboy rugby in the world‚ South Africa seems to be hitting a ceiling at the semifinal stage of this tournament.

It might be an acceptable return for some countries‚ but for South Africa‚ the under-20s should win this tournament more often.

Back when there was an under-21 World Championship, the Junior Boks won it three times between 1999 and 2007. Since it became an under-20 tournament in 2008, the Junior Boks have won one title in 11 attempts.

New Zealand have won it six times and England three times. France and England meet in the 2018 final in Beziers on Sunday.

New Zealand went undefeated for four seasons between 2008 and 2011 and suffered their first loss in the 2012 final against SA.

In the two years prior to this year’s tournament‚ despite making the semifinals‚ the Junior Boks won only six of 10 games.

This year, South Africa have lost two of four games and they could lose a third in the bronze medal match against New Zealand.

If that happens, it would be South Africa’s first negative winning ratio at the World Championships.

The trend has most certainly been downwards in the past three seasons‚ which has mirrored the senior Springboks’ own woes.

Coach Chean Roux has not managed to deliver the title despite‚ by his own admission‚ the best possible preparation.

Against England in Narbonne on Tuesday‚ South Africa trailed 19-0 after 23 minutes and never quite had enough to come back.

A lot is now riding on the bronze medal match‚ to stop this being the worst return for South Africa at an U20 World Championships.

“It is the second time in two years that we came close against England in the semifinal‚ but the team showed tremendous character in the second half‚” Roux said.

He said they were determined to win the bronze medal‚ although he admitted that the players had to be mentally strong in the lead-up to the game. – TimesLIVE