ADVERTISEMENT
RugbyDump
REGISTER
LOGIN
ADVERTISEMENT
RugbyDump
Wednesday Jul 5, 2023

World Rugby U20 Championship round three round-up as semi-finalists confirmed

Round three of the 2023 World Rugby U20 Championship went down to the wire as several teams jostled for a position to keep their semi-final hopes alive.

ADVERTISEMENT

In the end, it would take until the 76th minute of the final match for South Africa to rubber-stamp their place in the last four.

The Junior Boks 24 – 16 victory over Argentina booked the host nation a semi-final spot against a red-hot Ireland team on Sunday.

Their victory also brought an end to Georgia’s remarkable march towards a first-ever semi-final appearance as the South Africans won the tiebreak on account of their round one victory over the Georgians.

Despite the disappointment of missing out on the final four, Georgia have set up a clash with Six Nations side Wales to decide who will face either Australia or New Zealand in a play-off match for fifth place.

Having taken significant steps forward this campaign, the Georgians will be immensely proud of their two wins from three outings in the pool rounds. A victory over Wales will only make the calls for Six Nations inclusion even louder.

Semi-Finals Confirmed

As touched upon, South Africa will now face an Ireland team who edged out England by a single point to top Pool B.

The Irish have endured a torrid tournament off the pitch with the passing of Greig Oliver, father to scrumhalf Jack on Monday.

ADVERTISEMENT

Mr Oliver, who himself was a former professional player for Scotland, was in South Africa to support Jack and the Irish U20s. During a day out for several of the parents, Mr Oliver would be involved in a mid-air paragliding accident.

His passing would shake Irish Rugby to the core came in the wake of from the passing of two young Irish men, Andrew O’Donnell and Max Wall, who passed away a day prior. The two men were well known to many players in the Irish squad and tragically passed away in Greece whilst on a holiday to celebrate the end of their school exams.

In a beautiful gesture of Rugby sportsmanship, Fiji would present Ireland with a jersey as a mark of respect to the passing of Mr Oliver, who at the time worked for Munster Rugby.

Ireland would go on to defeat Fiji 47 – 27 in what was a far tighter affair than the scoreline would suggest.

ADVERTISEMENT

The meeting between the two sides on Sunday will be followed by semi-final two, which will see Six Nations rivals England and France square off.

Having rampaged through their Pool, France look to be the class of the tournament but will face a stern challenge from England.

Despite letting two leads slip against both Ireland and Australia, England managed to close out their Pool B campaign with two draws and one bonus point win to secure the best runner-up spot.

Filled with players who have already featured at the senior professional level, England will know they have a formidable challenge in front of them.

Should the action play out according to the form book so far in the tournament, a final meeting between Ireland and France will be on the cards.

Ireland have defeated the French in their past two meetings to secure Six Nations Grand Slam titles, but this French squad look to be a step up in quality.

Having thumped New Zealand, Wales and Japan in their pool fixtures, Les Bleus rarely looked like they had to get out of second gear.

This could count against them come playoff time, but as it stands, it would appear they are bubbling with confidence, making them exceptionally dangerous.

All Of The Results From Round Three

Italy 17 – Georgia 30

Ireland 47 – Fiji 27

Australia 22 – England 22

New Zealand 62 – Japan 19

France 43 – Wales 19

South Africa 24 – Argentina 16

Play-Off Round Fixtures Confirmed

All of the next round of fixtures will take place on Sunday, June 9th, starting with Italy and Fiji squaring off at 1am local time in Paarl.

Next up will be Argentina, who will tackle Japan at 1.30pm also in Paarl, whilst New Zealand and Australia will square off at 2pm at the Athlone Stadium in Cape Town.

The final non-semi-final fixture will see Wales and Georgia meet at 4pm local time in Paarl.

Finally, Ireland and South Africa will meet at 4.30pm in semi-final one before France and England square off at 7pm.

All kick-off times are South African local time.

Related Articles

  • 13 WEEKS AGO

    WATCH: Japan U20 torch New Zealand defence...

  • 13 WEEKS AGO

    Determined Australia grab a last minute score...

  • 13 WEEKS AGO

    Quins centre awarded start in star studded...



ADVERTISEMENT

Great Tries

  • 4 WEEKS AGO

    South African schoolboy produces the greatest goosey in the sport

  • 6 WEEKS AGO

    Incredible team try showcases thrills of the grassroots game

  • 7 WEEKS AGO

    Highlights video shows just why Vakatawa’s return is so highly anticipated

  • 7 WEEKS AGO

    Individual brilliance as player scores off his own kick off

  • 9 WEEKS AGO

    Match Report: Australia challenge the All Black HAKA in extraordinary test

View All

Big Hits & Dirty Play

  • 2 DAYS AGO

    Shocking record set to be broken at this year’s World Cup

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    Tom Curry receives ban following red card tackle against Argentina

  • 5 WEEKS AGO

    Off the ball 'punches' being called out by fans following All Blacks vs Springbok match

  • 5 WEEKS AGO

    Scott Barrett's World Cup on the rocks following reckless shoulder charge

  • 5 WEEKS AGO

    Bizarre tackle school video divides viewers

View All

See It To Believe It

  • 2 DAYS AGO

    Shocking record set to be broken at this year’s World Cup

  • 6 WEEKS AGO

    Incredible team try showcases thrills of the grassroots game

  • 6 WEEKS AGO

    Dane Coles stunned as he hears news of Steve Hansen joining the Wallabies

  • 6 WEEKS AGO

    Moment of madness leads to incredible Springbok score

  • 7 WEEKS AGO

    Highlights video shows just why Vakatawa’s return is so highly anticipated

View All

Funnies

  • 3 DAYS AGO

    Irish players prove the work/life balance is possible even at a World Cup

  • 1 WEEK AGO

    Springbok head coach Jacques Nienaber offers ice cold response at the press conference

  • 1 WEEK AGO

    Stone Cole’d: Dan Cole channels his inner Steve Austin in brilliant behind the scenes action

  • 2 WEEKS AGO

    Chaos ensues as off-field substitute is caught up in try scoring opportunity

  • 3 WEEKS AGO

    Springboks set to sing additional song post national anthem in future test matches

View All

Amateur

  • 38 WEEKS AGO

    You Won’t See Many Better Than This Silky-Smooth Try From Llandovery RFC

  • 38 WEEKS AGO

    Incredible Scenes As Caldy RFC Hand Ealing First Championship Defeat Of The Season

  • 61 WEEKS AGO

    Dubious Score Decides Result Of Rugby's Biggest Schools Fixture

  • 61 WEEKS AGO

    Incredible Scenes At School Boys Rugby Match

  • 61 WEEKS AGO

    The Next Dominant Backrow?

View All

Player Features

  • 3 HOURS AGO

    Springbok players pay tribute to incredible fans that support them around the world

  • 1 DAY AGO

    Springbok’s reign as world champions in peril as Dupont returns

  • 2 DAYS AGO

    Jersey Reds player evicted from own home following club collapse

  • 3 DAYS AGO

    Irish players prove the work/life balance is possible even at a World Cup

  • 3 DAYS AGO

    Watch Namibian wingers display incredible speed against Uruguay

View All