SA U18s crush England to seal unbeaten International Series, France too strong for SA U18 ‘A’ side

The SA Under-18s defeated England by 69-24 in their final match of the U18 International Series at Paarl Gimnasium on Saturday to gain their third victory in a row and finish the series unbeaten. While in the other match involving an SA side, France delivered a late flurry of tries to outplay a gritty SA Under-18 ‘A’ side by 40-14 in their last match of the U18 International Series.

The SA Under-18s maintained their fine form which saw them defeating France with 43-21 in the opening match before a 45-5 win over Ireland in their second outing earlier in the week.

The SA U18s quickly raced onto a 21-3 lead before adding a penalty goal but then conceded two tries to the English who would have been encouraged by their grit and determination to end the half with a 24-17.

But the SA U18s took back control of the match in the second half and added a further seven tries after the break while also impressing with their defence, which kept England scoreless in the soft Paarl downpour until right at the end.

The SA U18s raced into a 21-0 lead within 20 minutes, with early tries from Jadriaan Afrikaner and Gert Kemp, before captain Markus Muller pounced on a charged-down kick. England responded through a penalty and tries by Lawrence Ogbonnaya and Henry Horsfall, narrowing the gap to 24-17 at halftime.

The second half belonged entirely to the hosts. Ethan Adams crossed after a strong Muller carry, before wing Juanaide Stuart finished a cross-kick to stretch the lead. Dominant in the scrums, the pack sent tighthead JG Badenhorst over, while Muller added his second following another powerful scrum.

With England fading, the tries kept flowing – Altus Rabe, Josh Neill, and replacement Christian Vorster all crossing as the scoreline ballooned. Flyhalves Liyema Nela and Ruben Groenewald were accurate off the tee, ensuring scoreboard pressure throughout.

England captain Declan Treacey grabbed a late consolation, but it did little to soften the blow of a one-sided second stanza.

Standout performers for the hosts included skipper Markus Muller with two tries and strong leadership, Ethan Adams with a try and assist, and prop JG Badenhorst, who anchored a dominant scrum.

Scorers:

SA U18 69 (24) – Tries: Jadriaan Afrikaner, Gert Kemp, Markus Muller (2), Ethan Adams, Junaide Stuart, JG Badenhorst, Altus Rabe, Josh Neill, Christian Vorster. Conversions: Liyema Nela (4), Ruben Groenewald (4). Penalty goa:. Nela.

England 24 (17) – Tries: Lawrence Ogbonnaya, Henry Horsfall, Declan Treacey. Conversions: Hugh Shields, Oscar Talbot. Penalty goal: Shields.

France hammer SA Under-18 ‘A’

In the day’s other game, France delivered a late flurry of tries to outplay a gritty SA Under-18 ‘A’ side by 40-14 in their last match of the U18 International Series staged at the Paarl Gimnasium on Saturday afternoon.

The French led 18-14 at the break before they raced away late in the second half for their second victory of the series, following a convincing win over England in the previous round.

In cold and overcast but dry conditions in Paarl, the two teams delivered a lively opening spell of rugby with the French enjoying most of the possession and territory. They forced the young South Africans into several mistakes on the defence, which gave the visitors the opportunity to maintain the score-board pressure.

They scored two tries, a conversion and a penalty goal in the opening half, while the hosts countered with a converted try and a penalty try.

The SA U18 ‘A’ side put up a gritty fight in the second half and they managed to keep the French at bay, but in the final quarter, the visitors scored three tries to secure a well-deserved win.

Scorers:

SA U18 ‘A’ 14 (14) – Tries: Thomas Muller, Penalty Try. Conversion: Jeandre Uithaler.

France – Tries: Lourenzo Laouna, Malobe Mbaye, Andoni Echegaray, Gaetan Ngassa Manac’h, Yanis Brosset. Conversions: Timeo Gillouin Lemaire, Louis Favrau (2). Penalty goals: Gillouin-Lemaire (2), Favrau.