Kevin Foote hails 'huge improvement' as Junior Boks claim U20 Rugby Championship title

It was the Junior Boks' second bonus-point win after beating Argentina 48-24 in their first game of the tournament.

With New Zealand also losing to Los Pumas over the weekend, it leaves South Africa in an unassailable position at the top of the standings with one game of the tournament remaining.

While the Junior Springboks have been lethal with ball-in-hand in both games, their defence was much improved against Australia and their overall performance earned glowing praise from their head coach.

"There was a huge improvement. I think the whole squad showed what it means to play for South Africa. We showed grit and I'm super proud of everyone," Foote said after the game.

"Our preparation was excellent, and the leadership from Riley [Norton] and the senior guys was really good.

"From how we felt a year ago on this same night, there was a lot of motivation going into this game.

"Our DNA is physicality, but it's also skill. You see the physicality in breakdown and how we want to play. This team plays with pride.

"By their own admission, they wanted to fix last week, and I thought they did that today.

"Our discipline has also been excellent - we haven't had a card in this competition yet, which is massive."