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The latest rugby news from Wales and around the world
These are your latest rugby headlines on Monday, July 13.
Wales match ends in dramatic scenes
Wales U20s held on to claim a southern hemisphere scalp as their Junior World Championship play-off semi-final with Australia ended in dramatic fashion.
Despite being outscored by six tries to five, Richard Whiffin’s side beat the Junior Wallabies for the first time in eight years in Tbilisi as they claimed a 38-36 win, with a brace from Rhys Cummings, tries from Osian Darwin-Lewis and Deian Gwynne, a penalty try and 11 points from the boot of Carwyn Leggatt-Jones helping them to victory.
They will now face Scotland in the battle for fifth place on Friday, as Whiffin’s youngsters go in search of their best Junior World Championship finish since 2013.
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However, it was heart in mouth stuff for Wales in the closing moments, with Australia thinking they had snatched victory at the death when – with just two points in it – Jonty Fowler raced over in the 79th minute.
But there was a twist in the tale, with a TMO check being called as the conversion was taken.
Sure enough, replays showed that Angus Grover had knocked the ball on in the build-up, with the Australian coaching staff and travelling supporters unable to hide their disappointment as the try was chalked off by referee Robbie Jenkinson.
There was time for one more passage of play, but Wales – who had minutes earlier seen replacement Luke Evans awarded a 20-minute red card – did enough to hold on, with scrum-half Sion Davies kicking the ball out of play to spark Welsh celebrations.
Some members of the Welsh coaching team looked stunned at the full-time whistle and Whiffin admitted he was feeling “all the emotions” in the closing moments of the match.
“I would still be proud of the guys’ performance almost regardless of what the result was, it was a bloody good game. But yeah, frustrated that we almost coughed it up. We don’t make it easy for ourselves, that’s for sure.
“But we’ve also shown flashes of brilliance in there, and then some things that the boys have to learn to be better at. That’s the nature of age-grade rugby isn’t it?
“It’s the first time we’ve beaten a southern hemisphere team since 2019 and this group of lads is getting used to competing with and beating big teams,” he added. “So we’re really pleased with the outcome.”
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Springboks braced for ‘tough’ Wales challenge
Springboks forward Ben-Jason Dixon insists his side are braced for a “big challenge” when they host Wales in Durban this weekend.
The reigning world champions will welcome Steve Tandy’s side to Kings Park Stadium fresh from a 42-28 victory over Scotland, having also beaten England 45-21 in the opening round.
Wales, on the other hand, could not follow up their impressive win over Fiji against Argentina, as the Pumas eased to an ultimately comfortable 35-21 victory in San Juan.
There has not been a Welsh victory against South Africa since 2022, while Tandy’s men were thumped 73-0 by the Boks when they met in Cardiff in the autumn last year.
However, Dixon has stressed that his side are not taking anything for granted and are prepared for a tough test when Wales arrive in Durban on Saturday.
“It’s massive,” he said when asked about the Wales clash. “It’s going to be a big challenge. They’re just getting better and better, and they’re tough guys to play against.
“We struggled a little when Scotland got back into it in the second half, and Wales are going to be no different. They are a very difficult team to break down defensively, and they also have a good kicking game, so we are very excited for the match.
“We don’t know exactly which team is going to front up,” the nine-cap international added. “But it will be a good game to end the first leg of the Nations Championship.”
Wales vs Japan VIP and hospitality tickets
Seat Unique is offering VIP hospitality tickets for Wales’ Nations Championship matches against New Zealand and Japan in November.
Caluori wants more after try-scoring debut
By PA
Noah Caluori is satisfied with a successful debut against Fiji, but starting for England remains his ultimate objective.
Caluori’s Test career was just seven minutes old when he finished in the right corner with a flamboyant dive as the Islanders were overwhelmed 73-8 at Hill Dickinson Stadium.
The electric 19-year-old was also presented with a half chance soon after stepping off the bench, but instead passed inside for Henry Slade to touch down. Argentina in Santiago del Estero concludes England’s July tour and while Caluori is unlikely to dislodge Tommy Freeman or Immanuel Feyi-Waboso from the starting wings for that assignment, he has a clear vision for his future.
“An assist and a try is good,” the Saracens try machine said. “I gave one to Sladey and he gave one to me, so we’re one for one.
“I felt like I could have scored for Sladey’s try but for the first touch you’ve got to be selfless, you have to be safe. You just want to make the right decision on your first cap.
“Once I got on to the pitch it felt like any other game of rugby. I just backed myself and enjoyed it a lot. I felt ready. We’ve been pushing hard in training and I thought I have trained well since South Africa. I felt comfortable out there.
“I am not sure how it looked but I felt comfortable and just enjoyed every moment of the game. The next goal is for me to start. I’m hungry to push, hungry to get better each day and that’s all part of the plan.”
England captain Jamie George has watched Saracens team-mate Caluori star in his breakthrough season that saw him finish as the Gallagher Prem’s leading try scorer.
“The impressive thing with Noah is his ceiling is incredibly high,” George said. “He is still quite raw in terms of where he’s at, but his appetite to learn, his appetite to get better. He wants to make a big impact on any game that he plays in. He looked very much at home in Test match rugby and I’m sure today is the first of many.”
England travel to Buenos Aires on Sunday evening with head coach Steve Borthwick scheduled to name his team to face the Pumas on Thursday.
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