20 July 2025– South Africa ended a 13-year wait for their second World Rugby U20 Championship title by defeating New Zealand 23-15 in the final of the 2025 edition held in Rovigo, Italy, on Saturday. The victory marked South Africa’s first title since 2012, when a team that included future Rugby World Cup winners Handré Pollard, Steven Kitshoff, and Pieter-Steph du Toit had overcome New Zealand 22-16 in Cape Town. This latest final was equally intense, played in front of a sold-out crowd at Stadio Mario Battaglini. The Junior Springboks got off to a flying start with flanker Xola Nyale scoring a try in just the third minute. New Zealand responded quickly through Jayden Sa, who crossed the line following a lineout move. A turning point came in the 22nd minute when New Zealand loose-head prop Sika Uamaki Pole was shown a yellow card that was later upgraded to a 20-minute red by the Foul Play Review Official — the first red card issued in a final since 2012. South Africa were also reduced to 14 men when Albertus Bester received a yellow card 10 minutes later, but they managed to stretch their lead to 13-5 at halftime thanks to two penalties by Vusi Moyo.
New Zealand’s Rico Simpson reduced the deficit early in the second half with a penalty, but their efforts to break through South Africa’s resilient defense were repeatedly thwarted. South Africa appeared to have scored a second try through Hassiem Pead, but it was disallowed by the TMO for holding. The decisive moment came in the 77th minute when Gilermo Mentoe crossed the line to all but seal the win. Although New Zealand’s Maloni Kunawave added a consolation try in the dying moments, it was South Africa’s captain Riley Norton who lifted the coveted trophy, calling it “the greatest day” of his life.
Elsewhere on the final day, Argentina staged a thrilling comeback in Calvisano to beat France 38-35 and secure third place, matching their best-ever finish from 2016. Los Pumitas scored five tries in the second half, two of them by hooker Nicolás Cambiasso, to overturn a 14-point deficit and avenge their earlier 52-26 loss to the French in the Pool B decider. In the fifth-place playoff, Australia demolished England 68-40 in Rovigo, racing to a 21-0 lead within the first 13 minutes. They led 35-14 at halftime and showed no signs of slowing down in the second half. The dominant win served as payback for their pool stage defeat to the English, who, as the 2024 champions, ended the tournament with their worst result since 2012, finishing sixth.
In the seventh-place playoff, host nation Italy secured their best-ever result in the championship by beating Wales 31-23. Nelson Casartelli scored two tries, while Francesco Braga contributed 16 points with his boot to delight the home supporters in Rovigo. Georgia claimed ninth place with a 22-7 win over Scotland, powered by a brace of tries from number eight Mikheili Shioshvili, who had scored a hat-trick against Spain in their previous match. His second try on the hour mark proved to be the only score of the second half.
In a dramatic 11th-place playoff in Calvisano, Ireland narrowly edged out Spain 38-37 thanks to a last-minute try by hooker Henry Walker, who completed his brace in the 79th minute. Spain had been on course for their biggest-ever win in the tournament but played the final 15 minutes with 14 men following Daniel Chico Ayo’s red card. Despite their spirited performance, they fell agonizingly short of a historic result.
