The Junior Springboks secured their second win of the Junior World Championship in Tbilisi on Thursday, beating hosts Georgia 33-5, though the defending champions were made to work considerably harder than the scoreline suggests.
Georgia led 5-0 after eight minutes when wing Luka Tabatadze finished wide from a lineout play, and for much of the first half the SA U20s were pinned in their own half by a physical Georgian side. Captain Siphosethu Mnebelele pulled the Junior Boks ahead with two tries from driving mauls in the 22nd and 33rd minutes, both set up by the pack, with Luan Giliomee converting the second to leave it 12-5 at the break.
Georgia's discipline proved their undoing in the second half. Tighthead prop Levani Ezieshvili had been yellow carded just before half-time for a high tackle on Giliomee; that card was upgraded to a 20-minute red at the interval. Twenty seconds into the second half, Tabatadze was yellow carded for a deliberate knock-down, leaving Georgia with 13 men.
Even at 13, the Georgians kept hammering, but the Junior Bok pack steadily took control of the set pieces. In the 53rd minute, a Giliomee cross-kick picked out wing Cheswill Jooste for the third try. Scrumhalf Daviti Tsiklauri was then yellow carded for repeated infringements on the Georgian try-line, and Giliomee seized on the distraction with a quick-tap to score the fourth try himself, stretching the lead to 26-5 with 20 minutes remaining. Flanker Luke Cannon added the fifth try in the closing minute, with replacement flyhalf Alzeadon Felix converting to seal the 33-5 result.
Scorers — Georgia U20 5: Try: Tabatadze. Junior Springboks 33: Tries: Mnebelele (2), Jooste, Giliomee, Cannon. Conversions: Giliomee (3), Felix.