~ The Junior Springboks successfully defended the World Rugby Junior World Championship title with a hard-fought 16-5 victory over France at Mikheil Meskhi Stadium in Tbilisi on Saturday, becoming the fourth team to go back-to-back in the tournament's history.
"VAN" (Sports Desk - 19.07.2026) :: South Africa completed a successful defence of their World Rugby Junior World Championship title after a hard-fought 15-6 victory over France at the Mikheil Meskhi Stadium in Tbilisi on Saturday.
Thirteen years had separated South Africa's first and second titles, but this success – and a 11th Junior World Championship victory in a row – was secured with a huge physical effort in a match which saw four tries disallowed, three of them for the Junior Springboks.
France flanker Raphael Audebert scored the game's first try early in the second half before Markus Muller crossed for South Africa, who had 11 points from the boot of fly-half Yaqeen Ahmed to thank for victory in the Georgian capital.
South Africa captain Siphosethu Mnebelele, a member of their 2025 winning side in Italy, described it as a “flipping great feeling” to lift the trophy while coach Kevin Foote was immensely proud of the way his players stood up the challenge from France.
“France played with their usual flair and they were also big and physical, so we had to soak that up,” Foote said.
“But that’s the story of this team – they never give up and it means everything to us and our country. Rugby is in a very special place in South Africa now and we’re very lucky to represent them – to go back-to-back is very special so I’m very grateful.”
A second-half brace by second-row Finn McLeod helped New Zealand claim third place with a 41-26 defeat of England in a repeat of the 2017 final at the same venue.
Scotland matched their best-ever finish of fifth at a Junior World Championship following a 28-21 victory over Wales, having to hang on with 13-men after two yellow cards to match their placing achieved when Georgia first hosted the tournament in 2017.
Australia finished on a high with a 52-29 defeat of Argentina, helped by two tries for hooker John Greenfell, to finish seventh, while Ireland edged another all-European affair to beat Italy 34-26 in Kutaisi for ninth place and Fiji finished 11th on their return to the Junior World Championship after beating hosts Georgia 30-10.
Friday's matches in Kutaisi saw history created, USA securing a first-ever Junior World Championship victory at the 15th attempt after scoring 39 unanswered points to beat Uruguay 39-15 before Japan defeated Spain 34-26 to finish 13th and win two matches in a tournament for the first time.
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