Aussies miss semis at junior rugby champs

New Zealand earned a semi-final spot in the junior rugby world championships as the best runner-up with an eight-try romp against Scotland.

Australia have missed qualifying for the semi-finals at the junior rugby world championships in New Zealand with the hosts beating Scotland 54-7 to finish above Australia as the best runner-up.

Australia downed Italy 29-3 in their final pool game, meaning New Zealand needed to defeat Scotland by five points and earn a four-try bonus point in the process.

They did so in style in wet conditions at Pukekohe, crossing the line eight times to win 54-7.

Tries to Tom Sanders, Josh Renton and Mitchell Jacobson gave New Zealand a 21-0 lead at halftime, and further tries to Renton, Damian McKenzie, TJ Faiane, Vincent Tavae-Aso and Leon Fukofuka pushed the margin out in the second half.

Scotland could only muster a late intercept try to Damien Hoyland.

Australia opened the tournament with a 36-17 win against Argentina, but lost against England 38-24.

New Zealand beat Samoa 48-12 in their opening match but lost to South Africa 33-24, setting up the important result against Scotland to see them through.

England, Ireland and South Africa each qualified for the semi-finals by finishing first in their pools, leaving the fourth spot open to the best runner-up across the three groups.

New Zealand have a rematch against South Africa on Sunday for a spot in the final, while England will play Ireland in the other semi-final.


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Aussies miss semis at junior rugby champs | SBS News