NZ reclaim U20 world rugby title

New Zealand beat England 21-16 to reclaim the junior world rugby championship crown in Italy with South Africa taking third place.

New Zealand showed superb second-half composure under pressure to unseat defending champions England 21-16 in the world under-20 rugby championship final in Cremona, Italy.

It's the first time the Baby Blacks have won the title since 2011, with the past three titles shared between England and South Africa.

The two teams traded tries in the first half, centre Max Clark putting England ahead early before replacement centre Vincent Tevae-Aso scored with his first touch after replacing TJ Faiane.

An Otere Black penalty five minutes before the break gave New Zealand an 11-10 lead at halftime, which Akira Ioane extended shortly after the restart with his fifth try of the tournament.

The big No.8 was yellow-carded soon after for a late tackle on England five-eighth Rory Jennings, but the Kiwis restricted the damage to just two penalties while they were down to 14 men.

Black and Jennings swapped penalties in a tryless second half, with the New Zealand defence particularly tested in the closing 10 minutes.

South Africa beat France 31-18 in the earlier play-off for third place while Australia finished fifth by beating Wales 28-23.


Share

2 min read

Published

Updated

Source: AAP


Share this with family and friends


Get SBS News daily and direct to your Inbox

Sign up now for the latest news from Australia and around the world direct to your inbox.

By subscribing, you agree to SBS’s terms of service and privacy policy including receiving email updates from SBS.

Download our apps
SBS News
SBS Audio
SBS On Demand

Listen to our podcasts
An overview of the day's top stories from SBS News
Interviews and feature reports from SBS News
Your daily ten minute finance and business news wrap with SBS Finance Editor Ricardo Gonçalves.
A daily five minute news wrap for English learners and people with disability
Get the latest with our News podcasts on your favourite podcast apps.

Watch on SBS
SBS World News

SBS World News

Take a global view with Australia's most comprehensive world news service
Watch the latest news videos from Australia and across the world