The Junior Championship did not disappoint in Round 1 with high-scoring thrillers galore. While we should be in for another solid round of rugby, Round 2 may well be far lower-scoring than its predecessor with a lot of rain forecast to hit Cape Town over the next couple of days.
A few teams looked out of sorts with New Zealand struggling against the Welsh, while some of the minnows shone with Georgia running South Africa close, Fiji giving Australia a proper run for their money and an England side that had a terrible build-up to the tournament drawing with reigning champions Ireland.
Thursday 29 June
Australia | Ireland
Odds TBA*
First up we’ve got an absolute cracker with reigning Under 20 6 Nations champions Ireland taking on a solid Australian outfit. Ireland’s 34-34 draw with England in Round 1 has really thrown the cat amongst the pigeons in this pool.
The Irish gave a solid account of themselves in the clash with foes England, at least until the final quarter of the fixture. The Irish were cruising at ten minutes of the game. They had taken a seven point lead into that last ten minutes only for a missed lineout throw deep in their 22 allowed England to draw level.
The English would then launch attack after attack on Iireland’s five metre line but the young men from the Emerald Aisle would hold out for what could prove to be a vital draw.
Australia recorded a better result in Round 1 beating Oceania rivals Fiji 46-37. They were given a real run by the Fijians who were 29-37 up with 15-minutes left in the game. The Australians would demonstrate great grit, however, and came back with a penalty and two late tries to win the fixture and deny the Fijians a bonus point.
I think Ireland will claim the points here due to the weather conditions. The Irish have a solid forward pack who know how to play on a muddy deck, whereas the Aussies love a fast dry field.
Verdict: Ireland.
France | New Zealand
Reigning World U20 Champions France take on the most successful side in the history of the competition in Thursday’s next fixture.
The French were arguably the most impressive team in Round 1 as they hammered last seeds Japan 75-12. While the Japanese are hardly a litmus test, the French did impress with their attack firing and their loose trio really catching the eye.
New Zealand also took on a minnow in the form of Under 20 6 Nations wooden-spoonists, Wales. Unlike France, the Kiwis struggled against the young Dragons and just managed to scrape a 26-27 win. The New Zealanders actually trailed the Welsh 5-19 at the half-time break and should be mightily thankful they actually managed a win.
This is a far from vintage Kiwi U20 side and I reckon they will struggle against a French side that looks brilliant with ball-in-hand.
Verdict: France on the minus
Wales | Japan
Next up we’ve got the Japanese taking on the Welsh in Stellenbosch. The Japanese underlined their minnow status in their first fixture as they were hammered 75-12 by the French.
While the Japanese can take some heart from scoring two tries against the French, they really looked like boys against men in that heavy loss. Their set piece really struggled and this is an area the Welsh will target.
While the young Dragons also got their campaign off with a loss, their coaching staff will be very pleased with their showing they put in against New Zealand and the fact that they claimed a losing bonus point from the game.
The weather will suit the Welsh here and I can see their forward pack, which wasn’t great but held its own against New Zealand, to dominate this fixture.
Verdict: Wales (-)
South Africa | Italy
Tournament hosts South Africa will be looking to all but book their spot in the semi-finals of the tournament by claiming a bonus point win over the Italians.
The hosts were given a real run by a dangerous Georgian outfit on Saturday evening. Given a 22 point start at kick-off, the Georgian plus was never in doubt as while the Junior Boks always had a comfortable enough lead, the Georgians simply would not go away.
While the bookies were expecting more from the Baby Boks, it was actually a decent display against a Georgian side who recently beat England.
Unlike their fellow improved Europeans Georgia, the Italians did not live up to the hype on opening day as they fell to a heavy 43-15 loss to Italy. An early red card basically nulled the Italians who will be hoping for a far better showing against South Africa this Thursday.
The Junior Boks will be looking for a crucial winning bonus point here and I reckon they’ll get it against the Italians.
Verdict: South Africa (-)
Argentina | Georgia
Thursday’s penultimate game is a crucial one with Argentina and Georgia set to square off. A loss for Georgia would put them out of the running for a sem-final berth, while a win would open up the group.
The Argentines have a very good account of themselves albeit against an Italian side who were understaffed due to an early red card. You can only play what’s against you, however, and the Argentines did just this as they ran in some very smooth tries to claim a 43-15 bonus point win.
While Argentina got the full five point haul, the Georgians just missed out on what would have been a well-deserved losing bonus point as they went down 33-23 to South Africa. They were very good at the set piece and the battle between their tight-five and the Argentina boiler room is going to be titanic.
I actually fancy the Georgians to win this one. They looked very good against South Africa.
Verdict: Georgia
England | Fiji
The final fixture for Thursday will see a very handy Fijian side take on England. This is another crucial Round 2 game as if Fiji win this one, then the group is wide open with all four sides able to qualify for the semi-finals. Should the Pacific Islanders lose, then they will be playing it out for the minor spots come the play-offs.
The English will be pleased with their Round 1 performance as they came from behind to salvage a 34-34 draw with the Irish. They actually had a good chance to win the game as they were camped on the Irish five metre line for the final five minutes of the fixture.
Like England, Fijian impressed in Round 1 and were in with a shout of winning their clash with the Australians. And while they would ultimately go down by nine points to the Aussies, they did show that they are capable of mixing it with the big boys in the comp.
If the weather forecast was better, I’d be on the Fijian plus. However, with wet conditions forecast for the week, I can see Fiji struggling against England’s pack.
Verdict: England
