Wynona Louw's weekend hits-and-misses column covers a busy Saturday across Junior and senior rugby. The headline positive is the Junior Boks clinching their maiden U20 Rugby Championship title — not after last week's win over Australia as was prematurely reported, but via a 29-29 draw with New Zealand, secured when they banked the bonus-point try early in the second half. A late yellow card and penalty try to New Zealand made it nervy, but Kevin Foote's side had already done enough. On the URC front, Louw singles out referee Andrea Piardi for praise in the Stormers-Ulster draw — a 20-minute red for Iain Henderson, a penalty try awarded late, and a self-corrected call all handled decisively without killing the flow of the game. The bigger concern is what Henderson's deliberate croc roll did to Deon Fourie, whose age and injury history make any significant lay-off a serious worry for the Stormers. The column also revisits Edwill van der Merwe's disallowed try for the Lions against Leinster — a marginal offside call that wiped out what would have been the play of the weekend and arguably changed the complexion of a game the Lions weren't actually disgracing themselves in.
Junior Boks crowned, Fourie croc-rolled, and a Lions try that wasn't
The Junior Boks' U20 Rugby Championship title, Iain Henderson's croc roll on Deon Fourie, and the TMO call that killed the Lions' best moment against Leinster — Louw's column covers the weekend's sharpest talking points.
Junior World Championship Semis: Junior Boks Face Unbeaten England, Rugby365 Tips SA by Eight
Full team sheets and match predictions for all Junior World Championship knockout fixtures, including the Junior Boks vs England semifinal — Rugby365 tips South Africa to win by eight against an unbeaten English side.
Junior Boks to host Georgia, Fiji and Chile in Cape Town International Series ahead of World Championship defence
The Junior Springboks will host Georgia, Fiji, and Chile in a three-match-day U20 International Series at City Park in Cape Town from 21 to 31 May. Coach Kevin Foote will use the series to give his full wider squad game time and sharpen combinations before the Junior World Championship defence in Georgia at the end of June. South Africa and Georgia are in the same JWC pool, lending added significance to the 31 May fixture.
Junior Boks take World Cup confidence from NZ dogfight
Foote and Norton reflect on what a grinding draw against New Zealand reveals about where the Junior Boks are — and what still needs fixing — ahead of their World Cup title defence in Georgia.
Jake White: Henry's All Blacks return is a 'masterстroke' — and he's no ordinary selector
White calls Henry's return a masterstroke — not because of his selector credentials, but because of the psychological and cultural weight he brings to a rebuilding All Blacks camp. White also makes a pointed broader argument about the game's failure to learn from history, using his own 2007 World Cup experience as a case study.
SA Rugby weighs Champions Cup exit as Alexander warns of tough calls ahead
SA Rugby is weighing a withdrawal from the Champions Cup to ease player workload, with president Mark Alexander confirming a July workshop will determine which competitions the organisation retains, as 14 years of global calendar talks continue to stall over New Zealand Rugby's resistance to shifting Super Rugby Pacific.