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The Junior Springboks beat New Zealand in the final after going through the tournament in Italy unbeaten.
Junior Springbok captain Riley Norton poses with the World Rugby U20 Championship trophy after his team defeated the Junior All Blacks in the final in Rovigo, Italy on Saturday night. Picture: Timothy Rogers/Getty Images
Rising sports star Riley Norton celebrated the “greatest day of his life” after the Junior Springboks defeated fierce rivals, the Junior All Blacks, 23-15 in the World Rugby U20 Championship final in Rovigo, Italy on Saturday night.
The Junior Boks completed an unbeaten championship run, after they powered their way through the pool stage and semifinal, setting up a classic against their biggest rivals New Zealand, and duly dispatched them to become just the second South African team to win the junior title.
They emulate the class of 2012, who featured players such as Pieter-Steph du Toit, Handre Pollard and Steven Kitshoff, who all went on to become double World Cup winners with the Springboks, and some of these young up and coming talents will have dreams of doing the same.
Dual star
For Norton, who is a dual sports star, it was extra special as he was able to wash away the disappointment of losing in the semifinals of the 2024 U19 Cricket World Cup, with him able to lift the prestigious U20 title as the captain of the Junior Boks just over a year later.
After the match Norton praised the entire SA U20 group that took part in Italy, and also gave props to the Junior All Blacks for contributing to a great final.
“I am quite emotional. I am just so proud, because the amount of work we put in after not a great TRC (U20 Rugby Championship in SA), our backs were against the wall, and we just came out and gave it everything,” said Norton.
“The group is unbelievable. The players, management and coaches, we all pulled in to a common idea, and it wasn’t easy at times. But this is the greatest day of my life and I am so proud of everyone.
“Also hats off to New Zealand, they are an unbelievable team. We have the highest respect for them and they never go away. So to play a final against them was extremely special and something we will cherish for a very long time.”
Asked about the match, Norton said their plan was to dominate physically, and that is exactly what they did, especially on defence which came to the fore as they defended their line brilliantly on a number of occasions, while they also score two tries to lift their incredible tournament tally to 35 in five games.
Show up physically
“We just said we have to show up physically. That’s our DNA, that’s where South Africans get their energy and their passion from. At the set piece, the mauls, the scrums, just the hits (tackles). I think the guys did that for 80 minutes,” explained Norton.
“We never backed down and I think that’s where we get our DNA from. And of course Simphiwe Moyo (flyhalf), with an unbelievable boot, always putting us on the front foot and kicking those penalties. He’s amazing and will still be here next year.
“So I am so proud of the guys, I actually have no words. It’s been an extremely special couple of weeks in Italy, and I am struggling to put it into words.”
Although expectation were high after their dominant run to the final saw them head into the game as slight favourites, Norton claimed the team never felt any pressure.
“We never felt pressure. Of course there were a few nerves which was expected, but that’s a good thing. Thanks to the amount of support we received from South Africa, getting videos from all our mates, people sending us messages and just backing us,” said Norton.
“It was just unbelievable, and I am so proud to be South African. We couldn’t have done it without our fans back home cheering us on every step of the way. I think the sport culture in South Africa is so special and without it we wouldn’t be in this situation.
“To everyone back home, we appreciate you guys so much, we couldn’t have done this without you and we can’t wait to bring the trophy home to all of you guys.”
