Day three of the Junior World Championship ended in drama for some, as the fate of the semi finalists was decided late in the day, with points scored proving the difference between a few of the sides. Here are highlights from four of the games.
The Baby Blacks of
New Zealand
continued their fine form as they powered to a 48-15 win over
Argentina
, making it 18 consecutive wins for the defending champions. While Argentina were looking good at one stage, a clinical second half proved the difference.
England
top Pool C as they got the better of
South Africa
in a game that at one stage looked as though it could have gone either way. Unforced errors from the Baby Boks and an incredible work ethic from England on defence were two key factors in the game. England took their chances, while South Africa struggled to finish thanks to more than a few excellent try saving tackles, two from the second row.
As was seen here a few days ago,
Wales
took a serious hiding at the hands of New Zealand in their previous pool meeting. This time out they got things together though and punished
Italys
lack of fire power, winning the game convincingly 56-6.
Australia
s meeting with
France
was always going to prove vital to the layout of the semi finals, and it was France who threw a spanner in the works by reaching their first ever semi finals in the tournament, beating the junior Wallabies 31-25, effectively knocking out South Africa in the process, who finished equal on log points.
What that all means is that France will meet rivals England on Wednesday 22 June, while New Zealand will face Australia, who were the best runner up team across the three pools. That game is a repeat of last years final, and will also be on Wednesday, also at the Stadio Comunlae di Monigo.
Elsewhere – in games that arent featured here
Ireland
got their first win of the tournament as they beat
Scotland
30-13, while
Fiji
beat
Tonga
36-18. Ireland will face South Africa again as they play for fifth place, while Fiji face Wales.
A relegation battle will also take place, as Scotland, Tonga, Argentina, and hosts Italy will all fight to avoid ending up in the IRB Junior World Rugby Trophy next year.
Below are highlights of four featured games. You can navigate through the playlist via the button next to play, or simply sit back and catch up on all the games as it autoplays them.
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