Junior Boks return home to hero's welcome after stunning U20 Championship victory

The SA U20s, under the leadership of head coach Kevin Foote, ended a 13-year wait to reclaim the global Under-20 crown with a 23-15 victory over the Junior All Blacks in the summer heat of Rovigo.

"This is a very proud day for rugby in South Africa, and I would like to congratulate Kevin and the team on an outstanding performance in the tournament," said SA Rugby President Mark Alexander, who was also on hand to welcome the Junior Boks home.

"The group have been welded into a formidable unit over the course of this year and many of them have the potential to go on to higher honours, I am sure.

"Their victory is a tribute to all the hard work done at high school level by educators and coaches, and at our provincial unions from whom these players are drawn.

"Appointing a head coach in Kevin, who has franchise experience, was also an important part of the progress this group have shown, and I would like to commend him, his backroom team, and the High Performance Department at SA Rugby for what they have achieved in such a short space of time.

"I'd also like to thank our sponsors who have come on board to partner the Junior Boks and with whom we are delighted to share in their success."

The Junior Boks last won the title in 2012 with a home victory over the same opponents in Cape Town, but had to wait a long time for a repeat success.

The youngsters cruised to the final with commanding victories over Australia (73-12), England (32-22) and Scotland (73-14) in the pool stages, and Argentina (48-24) in the semi-final.

Victory in the final was a much tougher affair, built on strong defence and discipline, as they kept a dangerous New Zealand under wraps for the majority of the match. The Junior Boks led from the third minute and never surrendered it, thanks to tries from Xola Nyali and Gilermo Mentoe, as well as 13 points from the boot of Vusi Moyo.

Moyo finished the tournament as the top points scorer with 63, while Haashim Pead scored six tries, placing him second for the most five-pointers behind Georgia's Mikheili Shioshvili.