‘All to play for’: New Zealand U20s tracking well ahead of must-win clash
Assistant coach Jarrad Hoeata is looking forward to the New Zealand U20s’ must-win clash with a “pretty sharp” Australia U20s outfit as both teams look to potentially wrap up the title at Sunshine Coast Stadium this weekend.
Playing in the inaugural Rugby Championship U20 in the Sunshine Coast north of Brisbane, the Baby Blacks bounced back from an opening round 13-all draw with South Africa with a statement 43-20 win over Argentina.
Los Pumitas had won their previous match against tournament hosts Australia in torrential conditions, but the Kiwis’ red-hot start on Tuesday from quite literally the opening minute ensured the Argies wouldn’t go back-to-back.
Halfback Dylan Pledger scored about 70 seconds into the contest, and another two first-half tries laid the foundation for a decisive New Zealand win. Argentina may have squandered some opportunities but it was almost always one-way traffic.
For the New Zealand forwards coach, who had been joined in camp by All Blacks assistant coaches Jason Ryan and Leon MacDonald on the Sunshine Coast, Jarrad Hoeata couldn’t have asked for much better “against a pretty big Puma pack.”
“It was a great response,” Hoeata told RugbyPass.
“Obviously the conditions in that first game were pretty horrific. They weren’t a hell of a lot better for the second game but they were good enough for us to express ourselves and show some skills.
“It was probably the all round game. Our set-piece got going so that was really a massive positive, especially being a forwards coach.
“Our carry and clean work was really good and then the boy just attacking and finding space out wide to finish was very pleasing.
“Our scrum struggled but we managed to find some solutions there,” he added. “The lineout defence was awesome so I was really proud of the boys, disrupted most of their lineout.”
With one draw and a win to their name, the Baby Blacks can wrap up the first-ever Rugby Championship U20 title with a win over arch-rivals the Junior Wallabies on Sunday evening.
New Zealand are two competition points in front of second-placed Argentina, while the Aussies sit in third-place. If the Baby Blacks fail to win and Los Pumitas can beat South Africa with a winning bonus point, then they will take home the massive trophy.
The New Zealanders are clearly the form team of the tournament so far but Australia have a renewed sense of confidence about them following a hard-fought 24-19 win over the Junior Springboks on Tuesday.
“They’ve actually been pretty sharp,” Hoeata said when asked about Australia U20s.
“I know they’re pretty disappointed with their result against Argentina in the first game but if you look a little bit deeper into their game they’re a sharp outfit.
“They’re really well organised, got some good attacking strikes out wide as well. We’re expecting a pretty big battle.
“I think if they win they can take out the title as well so it’s all to play for.”
But regardless of how you look at it, the stage is set for two titanic clashes between Titans of under-20s rugby as they continue to build ahead of the World Rugby U20 Championship in South Africa from the end of next month.
South Africa U20 take on Argentina in the first of two matches on Sunday evening, while Australia host New Zealand in the later fixture. Kick-off times are 5 pm and 7 pm local time.
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Comments on RugbyPass
Munster are going to be a tough nut to crack. So far it seems that they soak up the pressure and by patience win in the end.
4 Go to commentsTwo super players Ford and Russell showed some wonderful skills.
1 Go to commentsA cracker of a game. JC Pretorius’s and little van den berg have huge work rates.
2 Go to commentsDannie Gerber - that name brings back memories. He was the maestro of the mid field.
4 Go to commentsDupont may not even be the GOAT in France and has a ways to go to surpass the great #Blanco
35 Go to commentsI’m sure Worcester fans will be as surprised as me to read that Fin Smith came through the Northampton academy.
1 Go to commentsBlitzboks have forgotten how to tackle.
1 Go to commentsWhat sort of ridiculous format this year where the title was won recently and over a whole season only to have winner takes all here? Not just the Ferns (look hey nothing between them and Aus who deserved this win) but Argentina who have been the best team all year then France with that freak for a couple of tournaments wins the overall title? Madness Forget the Olympics - unrelated and of course that is a one off tournament
1 Go to commentsThat is one helluva comeback!!! Hats off to the sheer bloody minded determination that must have taken. Hope he goes fantastically well at the T20 wc.
1 Go to commentsRayasi is now 7 or 8 years into his pro career, albeit one that started when he was young. At 27, as an outside back in NZ, he is probably closer to heading overseas than he is to the ABs. To get on the selectors radar he needs to have a great NPC, then another great SR campaign in 2025. Ben Lam was never really able to do that, he was a feast or famine type player. Three great games, then goes missing for the next 3.
11 Go to commentsDupont sees opportunities where there wasn’t one until he makes it so. Utter class.
3 Go to commentsThese are the guys that do the cohesion predictions? That will be a very interesting review and they have likely already told the Crusaders of their expections for them given such a young and inexperienced squad without all their injured and departed players. I wonder if any of that will get leaked out, perhaps only if the cohesion metric predicted such a season? Actually even that would like badly upon the backoffice, I suspect it likely we will never know what Gain Line Analytics made of this season now! Unless the PUs put its publication to vote?
12 Go to commentsCurrently across the super franchises the forwards choices for Robertson is in the luxury of the competitions depth for selection . However same can’t be said regarding selection of the backs, especially the inside backs. I believe that’s where his dilemma will be. If he can’t get mouanga for the start then he should forget him and move on.
30 Go to commentsIf they had another round up their sleeve then no doubt the sadas wouldv been top8. I say leave things alone and get into the next season I rekon the turn around will carry on.
12 Go to commentsSimilar to Arran Smith in his style of application.
5 Go to commentsSave your money. Just learn from the bad stuff and play better next year. Lost loads of key players and had half the team out broken for most of the season.
12 Go to commentsJosh Ioane has been great for opposition teams all season. The sooner the Chiefs unload him to MP the better.
11 Go to commentsMunster have very good back row stocks nowadays, lots of guys with very high potential. Okeke is unlucky not to get a contract. If he came along 10 years ago, he almost certainly would have. Could be very good for Coventry.
1 Go to commentsGreat article! Love that you point out so much that is positive, and back it up with quotes and clips.
1 Go to commentsNo scapegoats. No knee-jerk reactions. Just excuses in an expensive report under file 13. I’ll give the saders some free consulting - no planning after Razor. Just let things fall flat to rebuild. Easy.
12 Go to comments